The Butterfly Effect
by LightNS
Summary: Two strangers, one elevator, several coincidences—one outcome. Rated for semi-sexually explicit material and future topics of depression and suicide. BBRae AU
1. Chapter 1

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

"_It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world."_

Chaos Theory

Every event since the dawn of creation, the explosion that spawned the milky ribbon of shimmering specks in Earth's night skies 13.6 billion years ago, the fusion of dust and gas 4.6 billion years ago that produced the blazing giant that nurtures the planets of our solar system, the collision of small particles bound by the force of gravity that created our mother Earth 4.54 billion years ago, the first drop of water that sparked the existence of life in this planet thousands of centuries ago—every event, no matter the magnitude, coincided to devise a complex network of effects that led to this precise second.

And Raven wasn't exactly very grateful about that at the moment.

First, she had awoken that morning sprawled out on Kory's couch with the worst (and first) hangover she'd ever had after her so-called friends had convinced her to attend a bar with them the previous day to "mend her broken heart" after he who shall not be named had shown up at her footstep to ask for her hand in marriage and reopened an already healed wound. Needless to say, it wasn't the most rational decision Raven had taken.

Then, after the initial shock of her situation, she had scrambled out of Kory's apartment without so much of a warning (considering all of her friends were slouched in odd places of the room snoring and drooling all over themselves) to catch the bus to her job.

Alas, she had spent the bus ride to Wayne Enterprise Headquarters sandwiched between an overweight guy who smelled faintly like cigarettes and a creepy forty-year-old man who continuously tried to place his palm on Raven's thigh.

When she had finally arrived at her destination, she had hurried into the third elevator to the right of the main reception area (an odd move considering she _always_ took the stairs) precisely seven minutes after her shift was supposed to begin. Any second later and the messy blonde with the oh-so-typical troublemaker grin plastered on his expression would not have been able to stick his arm inside the elevator doors to prevent them from closing.

Lastly, had it not been for the recent, on-going maintenance issues for all the elevators in the building, perhaps the machine wouldn't have malfunctioned and abruptly frozen mid-way to the thirty-sixth floor of the building.

And now she was here—suffering from an intense headache and thoroughly famished considering she hadn't had breakfast this morning nor dinner the previous night, not to mention plopped down in front of an irritating guy who kept trying to start a conversation with her.

Raven admired her life, she really did, but at the moment, life wasn't being exactly generous to her.

"Can I at least know your name?" the aggravating idiot insisted. "I'm Gar."

She massaged the bridge of her nose gently in an attempt to soothe the aching inside her skull. "Raven," she deadpanned.

"Are, uh… are you okay?" he stammered sheepishly. She internally smiled, feeling glad that her ability to intimidate people could also affect morons like him. Alright, so perhaps she was being too cruel in her judgment of him, but to her defense, the pounding in her head prevented her from making any kind of reasonable thinking at the moment.

"No, I'm not," she gritted her teeth. "But I'd be more than fine if you'd just shut up."

He stayed silent for a few minutes, and just when she began to believe that he may have miraculously teleported out of her plane of existence, he spoke, "How long do you think we'll be in here?"

"I don't know," she snarled.

"I mean, they have to know we're stuck in here right? I really wish I hadn't forgotten my phone in my car… Are you sure your phone is completely dead?" he asked for the third time.

Raven scrunched up her eyebrows but managed to keep her voice calm, "I already told you no. If my phone were to somehow magically gain charge and turn on or I find a charger and an outlet magically appears next to me, you would be the first one to know."

"Why couldn't they at least bother to fix their emergency call button?" he loudly complained, his voice resonating like an echo chamber inside her head more than it should have. Why did he have to be _so fucking irritating_?

Raven frowned, her fingers now massaging her forehead, "I don't know. Maybe it's because they didn't bother fixing the elevator at all," she retorted.

"So, uh, why are you here?" he asked awkwardly, his voice seemingly gaining a few octaves.

"Why do you think?" she snapped. "I'm here for work. Where I should have been twenty-five minutes ago."

"Oh… I'm here to visit a friend," he unnecessarily shared.

"Nice to know," she uttered sarcastically.

"So… How are you?" he questioned while toying around with his keychain. Raven swore he could pass off as a child if it wasn't for his appearance. She felt like a mother stuck inside a car during a road trip with a toddler continuously asking her if they were there yet.

"You already asked that," she grumbled.

"Well, you didn't answer…" he replied with a snicker that made her blood boil. She really had to control her temper before she exploded on him. Sure, he was thoroughly annoying, but even he didn't deserve _that_. "So I thought I'd ask again."

"How's that going for you so far?" she bumped the back of her head against the wall and shut her eyes tightly.

He shrugged before answering, "You haven't answered yet so… not good?"

"And what do you think that means..?" she continued.

"Uh…" he furrowed his eyebrows at her. "... That you don't want to answer?"

"Bingo."

"Why not?" he tilted his head.

She arched an eyebrow, "What?"

"Why don't you want to answer?" he asked.

Raven finally opened her eyes and regarded him with a blank expression, "God, could you be any more annoying?" she whispered under her breath, though she didn't answer his question.

"You know, you'd look so much prettier if you smiled or if you acted just a little nicer…" he blurted out.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she scowled at him.

He raised his hands up in defense and grinned like an idiot, "No offense, really. You're _really _pretty. But you'd be prettier if you smiled and… adjusted your attitude a bit," he confessed.

"Excuse me?" she sent him a piercing glare that made him shift in his seat. She hoped it was a sign of fear. "I don't need attitude lessons from someone like you," she retorted.

He looked taken aback, and he opened his mouth to respond but seemingly thought best of it. Instead, he sat back and avoided her gaze. Raven considered getting him to shut his mouth a sign of success.

After fifteen more minutes, he appeared to finally snap. He groaned loudly and jumped to his feet. "Is no one really fucking aware of the fact that we're in here!?" he slammed his hands against the wall, causing the elevator to rattle.

"Keep that up and you'll make things worse," Raven rolled her eyes.

"We really have to get out of here," he ran a hand through his messy locks and paced around the small space, otherwise aggravating Raven further. She had never before been more desperate to gain the ability to teleport.

"You're not going to accomplish anything by panicking," she noted.

He stopped in his place and crossed his arms, his nice-guy act finally faltering, "Well I'm trying to think of something! Meanwhile, you're sitting there acting like a total bitch!"

"That's because you were being an annoying moron," she countered.

"Ugh!" he let out a frustrated howl and placed his palms against the wall while staring down at the ground, most likely to calm down. They really had to get out of there before they killed each other.

Then, he raised his head abruptly as if a light bulb had switched on above his head. "Wait a second! Doesn't this elevator have-" he reached his hand up and gently pressed on the ceiling tiles in the elevator until he found a loose one. "Ah ha!" he uttered like he was a total genius. Raven hoped he wasn't considering what she was thinking.

"Get on my shoulders!" he turned to her and offered a hand.

Raven only gaped at him, "Excuse me?" she questioned with an arched eyebrow.

"Get on my shoulders and get out through the ceiling and see if you can find a way to get us out of here. I've seen it happen in movies hundreds of times!" he insisted.

"You do realize we're not in a movie?" Raven scoffed.

"Come on Rae! Chill out and follow my lead," he gave her that stupid grin of his.

She narrowed her eyes, "My name is _Raven_, and I'd rather not," she scorned.

"Alright, _Raven_," he mocked before grabbing her wrists forcefully and pulling her up. A tumult of butterflies erupted inside her gut when she realized their faces were only a few centimeters apart, and for some reason, her eyes took a strange interest upon his plump rosy lips. She only snapped out of her trance when his face flushed, and he quickly stepped back with a nervous chuckle. Why the hell was she staring at his lips? And why the hell was she getting butterflies in her stomach because of it?

"Um, sorry…" his eyes wandered everywhere but her. "What was I-oh!" His eyes widened comically. "Like I was saying," he cleared his throat in an attempt to lessen the awkwardness in the elevator. "We don't have many other options and so far, there's no sign that they even know we're in here. So, I don't know about you, but I have a lot of things to do, and I'd prefer to _not_ spend the rest of my day stuck inside an elevator."

Though he had a point, there was no way Raven was going to agree with his ludicrous plan. She crossed her arms and scrutinized his expression carefully, searching for any sign that he could be joking about it. She found that he wasn't. And that he was a bigger idiot than she had originally guessed.

"No," Raven declared in a flat tone. "Your plan is utterly-"

She was interrupted by a faint voice above them calling out, "Is anybody in there?"

"Vic!? Is that you!?" the idiot before her shouted, and her headache suddenly returned at full force. "We're in here!"

"Green bean? What are you doing in there? Who's with you?" the male voice exclaimed.

The guy's face turned tomato-red at the nickname, and Raven contained a snicker. "Uh, Raven's her name. We've been trapped in here for almost an hour now!" he replied.

"Oh! Well, I got bad news and good news for you," he called. "The good news is you're getting out. The bad news is the elevator is stuck between floors so we can't force open the doors for you, and the maintenance workers have to work from the inside to get it moving again. Luckily, there's a removable tile in the ceiling above you. If you just raise it, you can crawl out and then get out through here."

Raven's stomach fell as she noted the cocky grin that undoubtedly screamed 'I told you so.' She didn't dare to comment on it, and instead disguised her displeasure, and admittedly embarrassment, behind a scowl. "Just kneel down," she muttered, her expression daring him to boast about it.

He got on his knees and grasped the front of her ankles when she positioned herself on his shoulders. She tried to ignore the undoubtedly red coloring of her face as she became aware of just how short her pencil skirt really was. He stood up, and she pushed the tile up to reveal the silhouette of a head poking out from the propped open elevator doors of the floor above them. Her hands grasped the sides of the elevator roof, and she pulled herself up. Then, she peeked below her where the guy was avoiding her eyes while scratching the back of his neck nervously. She narrowed her eyes but reached down to offer a hand. He grasped it firmly.

"Ready? One, two, three-" he forced out as she pulled him up with all of her strength, and he used the rails on the side of the elevator to prop himself up and climb out of the elevator.

"Thanks…" he whispered as he raised his gaze and locked eyes with her own—forest green to dark indigo. Her breath hitched when she caught a whiff of the minty aroma of his mouth, and she attempted to reply with a 'you're welcome,' but she found that her mouth was too dry to utter the words. Her eyes traced the outline of his lips carefully, and she noticed how he did the same. They found the distance between them shrinking little by little, their lips magnetizing each other before-

"Ahem," the man above them interrupted.

The two jerked away from each other, and their eyes took an abrupt interest on everything but each other.

"I thought you guys would be more eager to get out of there…" the man above them smirked. "Come on, I can help you out," he offered a hand.

The guy—she supposed she should start referring to him as Gar, but that made it sound like they were acquaintances (or dare she say friends), and considering she was almost out of this predicament, she'd rather him be out of her hair as soon as possible—took a step back and signaled for her to go first. Raven took the burly man's large hand and crawled out. Gar followed shortly behind her.

She glanced down and dusted her skirt, though it was really just an excuse to avoid peeking at him. Her face was barely cooling off, and she'd rather it _not _heat up again.

"Um, I guess this is where we part ways?" he asked her awkwardly. Raven glanced at him and nodded.

"So, uh, farewell?" he strode forwards with his hands buried inside his pockets. "I… um, hope I see you again soon?" he squeaked.

Before she could gain enough sense to stop herself, she responded, "Perhaps," with a faint smile. To make things even worse, she completely froze up like a deer in the headlights the moment he removed his right hand from his pocket and planted a gentle kiss on the back of her hand, his gaze studying her intently as if he were trying to memorize her appearance. Her eyes grew as wide as saucers, and she heard dozens of different alarms blaring inside her head. This was bad. This was _really bad_.

She bit her lip and retreated, her feet seemingly on autopilot as she hurried down an unfamiliar hallway. What the hell had just happened? Why the hell was she freaking out about it?

She was Raven for God's sake! The impassive, stoic, impenetrable girl who did not flirt or let herself be wooed by unfamiliar guys under _any_ circumstances. Yet here she was getting weak-kneed over some idiot she'd been stuck in an elevator with for almost an hour. An idiot who she found absolutely aggravating, mind you. What the hell was wrong with her!?

Raven sighed and clutched her forehead, her headache coming back at full force. God, that girl's night out had been a really fucking stupid idea. Why had she let herself be convinced? If she had just stayed home and woken up early, abiding by her normal routine, none of this would have happened. She was really starting to lose it.

Her heels clicked against the marble floor rhythmically, and she suddenly found herself stopping. She huffed out in annoyance when she realized she'd been roaming the hallways with no remote idea where she was headed to. She decided to take the stairs for the remaining two floors until she finally reached Dick's office, a total of fifty-six minutes late.

Raven opened the door to his office and noticed he was pacing around talking frantically on the phone. When he noticed her, his face shifted from panicked to puzzled to relieved within the span of five seconds.

"Raven!" he exclaimed while hanging up the phone. "Where the hell have you been!? I've been calling everyone to ask for you! You're _never_ late! Kory said she woke up and you were already gone, but when you didn't arrive after half an hour, I started to worry. You weren't answering your phone, and after forty-five minutes I finally started making calls to see if anyone knew where you were! Do you have any idea how worried I was!?"

"Control yourself, Richard, I was stuck in the elevator this whole time," Raven sighed and crossed her arms.

"For an hour!?" he exclaimed.

"Yes, if you'd just bother to tell your guys to fix the elevators for once, we wouldn't have had this complication," she rebutted.

Dick finally shut his mouth, "Alright. You have a point, let's just forget this. Next time you're late, mind giving me a call?"

"My phone was dead, but I'll make sure it doesn't happen again," she nodded.

With that, they went on with their respective jobs, Raven managing important business emails and taking phone calls while Dick attended his daily meetings to analyze the progress of the company. Needless to say, Raven wasn't properly focused on her job considering a certain emerald-eyed idiot seemingly invaded her thoughts.

God, she really had to get a grip on herself before things got bad. The good news was, she wasn't planning on running into him ever again.

* * *

**Date: Thursday, March 14, 2019**

**A/N: I've been working on this story for a long while now, so no, I did not postpone Glass. I do want to have a little fun releasing these chapters so... I've decided that you guys might have to work a little if you want to see this story continued. That is, if you want it to be continued, of course. We're going to have a fun game of Teen Titans trivia every chapter and if someone guesses correctly I will update the next chapter in the coming days. So if it takes months for the correct answer to come through, then it'll probably take months for the next update. I will be nice, though, if in a few weeks you still haven't figured it out (which I doubt), I'll edit this chapter with a hint. Let the games begin!**

**We're going to start off easy...**

**Question**

**Beast Boy once "[dug] around in someone's intestines" for Raven's sake (romantic, huh?)  
Can you name the _comic Issue and Volume_ when this took place?**

**Answer  
****?**


	2. Chapter 2

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

"_A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it."_

Jean de La Fontaine

"Raven? Are you alright?" Kory asked through furrowed eyebrows, her voice tainted with concern.

It had been a week since her encounter with Gar, and Raven felt both relieved and disappointed about it. For some reason, she found herself daydreaming about him at random intervals during her daily routine. She often didn't realize it until someone snapped her back into reality—and every time felt a little more mortifying than the last. Why the hell was she daydreaming about a stranger she'd barely interacted with? A stranger who was both incredibly irritating and foolish. And attractive.

_NO!_ Her eyes widened when the thought invaded her mind. She bumped her hand into her forehead to knock some sense into herself. Perhaps she'd gone long enough without a proper date or physical affection, but Raven really needed to get her emotions in control. They were beginning to affect her performance at work. She'd probably never see the stranger again after all. She hoped she never did, though a little voice inside her head thought otherwise.

They sat at a secluded booth inside a coffee shop eating lunch. Kory loved having their 'girl talks' every other Tuesday, and the only way Raven conformed was if they had them at places she enjoyed. Naturally, she chose coffee shops because of the peaceful and quiet ambiance they all shared. Today, it was an underrated, small (yet homey) coffee shop located only a few blocks west from her workplace called _Booked Week Café_ and locally known for their abundant amount of teas for customer selection and their built-in bookstore, hence the name. The place was mostly desolate save for the two young women, an elderly woman a few tables away, and the lanky teenage worker manning the cash register.

"Raven?" Kory repeated, finally gaining her attention.

She muttered an unintelligible, "Huh?"

"Are you alright? You seem distracted. Would you like to talk about it..?" she questioned, her voice soft to make sure Raven knew she wasn't trying to pry.

Raven clutched the handle of her coffee cup tightly before replying, "... Not really, Kory."

"Oh," Kory's eyes trailed down with disappointment. "Very well then, friend. Would you like to talk about something else?"

Raven blew on her cup before taking a tiny sip of her herbal tea. The liquid traveled through her mouth and down the esophagus, sending a pleasant sense of warmth throughout her body. _Ah, always refreshing_, she smiled. She opened her eyes and observed Kory attentively. She seemed a bit restless for an odd reason… "Why don't we talk about Dick?"

The girl visibly bounced in her seat and beamed cheerfully. _Bingo_. "Oh, he has been most wonderful recently! He has invited me on a date this Friday to an extremely exclusive restaurant in the northern sector!" she squealed.

"... That actually sounds really expensive. He must be trying to make your night special… Do you think..?" Raven gave her a look, and she could tell Kory understood.

Her face flushed, and she trailed her finger around the rim of her coffee cup while avoiding Raven's curious stare, "I am not sure, exactly. It is not an anniversary or a special occasion as far as I am aware… So, it is possible that…" her voice trailed off.

Raven tilted her head before asking, "Would you say yes?"

"Of course I would!" Kory didn't hesitate on her response, and she regarded Raven with a somewhat offended expression as if she was shocked that Raven would even have to ask that. "We have been together for three years now… And I truly believe Richard is my soulmate. I... " she stammered. "I wish to spend the rest of my life with him by my side."

Raven smiled at her, "I'm glad, Kory. Dick is a great guy, and I really think you two are meant for each other."

Kory looked pleased with her assumption, and they remained in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Then, abruptly, Kory curiously inquired, "What about you, Raven?"

"What about me?" Raven looked taken aback, though she had a feeling she knew where her question was headed. And she didn't like it.

"Have you met anyone special recently..? Perhaps a suitor who fits your needs… Someone to help you get over…" Kory suddenly stopped, slapping a hand over her mouth as if she were shocked by her own words.

Raven's grip on the handle of her cup only tightened, and she avoided the girl's remorseful stare.

"I am sorry, friend. I did not mean-"

"It's fine. I have to get over him eventually, don't I?" Raven didn't mean for her tone to sound so utterly defeated, but it did, and Kory visibly saddened.

"I firmly believe that you will, friend. It will take time but…" she placed her hand above Raven's and sent her a kind smile. "You will find someone who loves you for who you are."

Raven only nodded, despite not really believing her friend's optimistic outlook. Kory had always been a glass-half-full kind of girl. Raven, on the other hand, had not. She had grown up in an environment that left little for her to hope for. Her father had been abusive to her and her mother. Then one day, Arella had vanished, leaving only an apologetic note to Raven where she assured her that she'd come back for her one day. That she'd save her from her father. That she'd give her the love and attention that she deserved.

The day never came, and since that moment, Raven had known she was a realist. Fortunately, during her eighteenth birthday, she finally escaped from her father's demonic influence, and she moved to San Francisco where she started a new life, where she met her best friends and overcame her fucked up past. And she was okay for once in her life.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Kory's phone suddenly blaring into life. Kory glanced at her apologetically, and Raven simply signaled for her to answer it. She stood up to give her friend some privacy and walked to the cashier to refill her now-empty cup.

"Herbal tea, please," she told the cashier. He nodded and ambled to the back to refill her cup.

Raven heard the wind chimes behind her clank delicately against each other (one of the unique things she enjoyed about the coffee shop was their doorbell). She felt the winter breeze caress the back of her legs as the newcomer stepped inside and the door shut. The footsteps stopped right behind her, and Raven assumed he/she thought she was standing in line.

"You can-" her jaw nearly dropped open when she recognized who he was.

"Raven," he grinned goofily at her.

She seemed to come to her senses, and she instantly cleared her throat in hopes of masking her momentary stupor. "Gar," she acknowledged.

"I thought I recognized you," he commented while burying his hands inside his pockets.

"How..?" Raven wasn't sure what to ask.

"I did tell you I'd see you again," he cockily replied.

Raven grimaced. She had forgotten how much of an irritating idiot he really was. And since when had he gained such a confident aura? Last time she'd checked, he had been tripping over his own shoelaces and stammering through his syllables during their short time (or dare she say long) trapped in the elevator together. "Unfortunately," she huffed.

"Aw, you know you wanted to see me again, Rae," he strolled forward, and Raven suddenly felt like she was trapped between him and the counter. Her hands wandered about aimlessly behind her as she stumbled backward until she gripped the surface's edge. Her face reddened, both in embarrassment and indignation. How did this guy manage to push her buttons so easily? And why the hell was she getting so flustered around him?

"I-" she choked on her words, her unemotional act faltering.

He chuckled softly, and his arms clung to either side of the counter behind her. His face was so close, and he pursed his lips, an action that she'd normally find creepy from the countless guys who attempted to flirt with her but that provoked a swirl of eager nerves within her stomach from him. His mouth was extremely alluring, practically inviting her to let her riled emotions loose and ravage him with ravenous kisses.

"Uh… Here's your tea…" an awkward squeak behind her reeled her back in, and she quickly pushed Gar back.

Raven turned with an undoubtedly red face and clumsily slapped a ten-dollar bill on the counter before snatching her cup nervously. Gar laughed quietly behind her, no doubt aware of the effect he had on her. She avoided eye contact with him. He shifted forwards and murmured a phrase that should have sounded completely innocent to her ears, yet it didn't. "I hope to see you again soon," the words released a heap of excited shivers throughout her body. Then, he turned to the cash register and started ordering something that Raven's hearing was unable to catch as her head felt like a helicopter spinning out of control in the sky.

She hurried to her seat in the back (and thankfully out of view) and sat down, barely managing to keep her tea from spilling. Kory was still distractedly talking in her phone and barely caught notice of her, giving Raven enough time to contemplate what had just occurred.

_What the hell was that?_

Raven felt like hyperventilating, but she contained herself as to not drag Kory's attention. Her mind felt like a disarray of dazed, distraught, maddened, and aroused emotions spiraling about frantically. She had never in her life been more stirred up by a guy than she was now. _How in the name of-_

"Raven?" Kory waved a hand in front of her.

"What?" she asked quizzically.

Kory looked befuddled, "Are you okay? You went to get some tea, and you came back looking… agitated? Did something happen?"

"No," she croaked, cloaking her riled emotions behind her usual apathetic attitude, even though she was losing it inside. "Nothing happened. I just happened to run into someone unexpected." The best lie was always a half-lie.

"Oh… Was it… him?" Kory questioned with apprehensive eyes. Raven knew who she was referring to.

She shook her head and sipped her tea, "It was someone else."

"Okay," Kory dropped the subject when she realized Raven wasn't going to elaborate. "Perhaps we should head back to your workplace?"

Raven bit her lip nervously, glancing back at the cashier but finding it empty, "Perhaps we should."

* * *

**Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2019**

**A/N: Woo! I'm glad someone got the question right. I was worried no one would. The answer to last chapter's question was John's run of the ****Teen Titans Vol. 3, Issue#12. Friendly reminder that if you want me to announce you as the winner, make sure you write a name. This one was answered by a guest. They asked if using the internet is cheating. Nope! All is fair! In fact, I encourage the use of the wikis and forums out there. You learn a lot by just swiping through content and sometimes it encourages people to actually check out the comics! I know that's why I fell into this superhero rabbit hole. Taygon55 was also pretty close. He/she cited issue 5/6 of John's run. **

**So anyhow, in this issue, Garfield essentially turned into a parasitic worm and dived into Brother Blood's intestines to retrieve Raven's chakra. This was kind of the first hint of romance I ever noticed from these two as they had a really sweet talk afterward, and I squealed like crazy.**

**This question is going to be a little easier since this was somewhat of a short chapter.**

**Question**

**During the first few issues of _Titan's Volume 3_,  
****Garfield visits Raven at her school "undercover" in the form of a _?_.**

**Answer**

**?**


	3. Chapter 3

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

"_You can't run from your shadow. But you can invite it to dance."_

Tanya Geisler

Perched atop the concrete bench, he sat, his gaze intently fixed upon the gravestone a few feet before him. The field was silent—only the wind whistled its forlorn chant, and every so often, a raven croaked in the distance.

Garfield had forgotten how tranquil the ambiance of the graveyard made him feel. It was as if the world stopped every time, just to give him a moment to cope with the somber emotions buried in the trenches of his heart. The emotions he'd rarely display. Though he wore his heart on his sleeve, as many people told him, Garfield made sure _that_ part of him—the beast hiding within his shadow—remained entrapped inside his mind.

"I met a girl a few weeks ago…" he started, pretending for a moment that his mother was sitting in front of him listening intently like she always used to do. "We met in an elevator," he chuckled to himself. "She has quite a temper, really. We were stuck in there for almost an hour, and she absolutely seemed to hate my guts. I don't know… There was something about her. I can't really pinpoint it but… I was drawn to her somehow. You could call me crazy," he smirked, knowing his mother would be heckling him about it yet also going on about love at first sight and destiny. Though Garfield didn't fully believe in that stuff, it always made him happy watching his mother's eyes sparkle to life as she spoke. "It's weird. I have this sort of attraction to her. I kind of want to see her again, but the only thing I know about her is her name… Raven."

He waited, wishing to gain some sort of sign like those stereotypical scenes in movies where the protagonist had a big moment of realization that set up the resolution of the movie. Alas, nothing happened.

Garfield chuckled again, but there was no humor in it, "Of course, you can't really give me any advice, can you?"

No response.

"... I really wish you were here. You have no idea how much I miss you."

He sighed before standing up. He approached the gravestone carefully. His hands grasped the stem of the Cardinals (her favorites) tightly, not wanting to let go. He leaned down and laid them in front of the stone reading '_Rita Farr, Loving Mother and Wife.'_

Then, he buried his hands inside his pockets and strolled away. He made one more stop before he left, placing a red rose gently in front of his ex-girlfriend's gravestone. "You don't really deserve this, Tara… But even after everything you did, I really can't help still loving you," he whispered.

Garfield headed out of the graveyard, his eyes fixated on the shadow of his silhouette in front of him as he walked. He couldn't help but wondering what life would've looked like if he'd never gotten so close to that ape on that day twenty years ago. Would his biological parents still be alive? Surely, they would have returned home that year, ready to celebrate their successful business trip. They would've spent Christmas together, stuffing themselves with turkey and cookies like they always did, waking up really early that morning to walk to the park together, their hands tightly locked to each other as they readied themselves to watch the sunrise.

He would've never been taken in by that tribal king. He would've never gotten so close to dying that day one of his parent's nemesis ordered his minions to assassinate him, a poor defenseless six-year-old. Would've never gotten taken in by his parent's coworker who constantly pushed him around and treated him like shit, all simply to obtain his parents' inheritance.

But then again, he also wouldn't have gotten adopted by Rita and Steve. He would've never spent those precious Christmas nights with the Doom Patrol, celebrating their recent laboratory research publications. He would've never met his high school sweetheart, Tara, who provided him with the kind of affection he'd always craved for and also acted like the best friend he'd never had. But she wouldn't have betrayed him by hiding her illegal activities behind his back and sleeping with the fucked-up man that gave her the job.

He also wouldn't have lost her to Slade. He wouldn't have lost his adoptive family, including Rita, all in that freak accident during one of their laboratory experiments. Steve wouldn't be stuck inside a mental asylum, his brain unable to process the tragedy that occurred that night, unable to recognize his only son.

He often wondered what he'd done to anger the God everyone seemed to worship. What had he done to deserve that one bite that seemed to determine the rest of his life's suffering all those years ago?

"Butterfly effect…" he snickered humorlessly. "More like a fucking curse."

"Hey, man, you alright?" Victor questioned with a hint of worry as he reached his car.

Garfield only nodded as he got in the passenger's seat. Victor drove them in silence to their destination: the garage he'd adopted three years ago and was currently successfully managing.

When they arrived, they remained in the car for a few minutes, the silence speaking more than they ever could. It was a moment they shared every month after Garfield visited his mother's grave. Victor would drive him to the graveyard, stay in the car to give Garfield a private moment with his mother, and he would drive him back to his garage where they would play video games and drink beers together like nothing had happened. Though neither acknowledged it, it was an action that greatly aided Garfield's emotional state, and he knew he could trust Victor with his life.

"Ready?" Victor asked.

And like a switch abruptly flipped on, a goofy grin expanded on Garfield's expression, and as he dashed out of the car, he yelled, "Last one on the couch gets dish duty!"

Victor simply chuckled to himself and calmly followed him inside. Gar was already sprawled out on the couch setting up the console to play _Ultra Mega Monkeys VI Limited Deluxe Edition - Banana Warcraft_. Victor shook his head amusingly as he headed towards his small kitchen to retrieve two cold beers and a family-size Doritos bag. When he entered the living room, Gar was already shooting bananas at the helmeted monkeys heading towards the screen in humongous tanks.

"Dude! Not fair at all!" Victor complained as he plopped down on the bean bag next to the couch. He snatched the second player controller and started a new round.

"Aw, man! I was so close!" Garfield loudly whined.

Victor snickered, "You bought it for yourself. You didn't wait for me, green bean."

Garfield pouted but otherwise continued frantically pressing the buttons of his own controller. A few hours later, the sixth 'Game Over' screen flashed across the TV and Garfield and Victor were thoroughly satisfied with their gaming session. They settled on watching Game of Thrones while aiming popcorn at each other's mouths (their usual sleepover dinners consisted purely of junk food).

"So, Wally invited us to one of his parties. He says that his one rich work friend, Dick, the VP at Wayne Enterprise, is hosting it at his penthouse. I think it's some type of engagement party or whatever. What do you say we go?" Victor proposed.

Garfield shrugged his shoulders as he caught a popcorn kernel in his mouth. He swallowed it before responding, "Sounds fun. Who's going?"

"Probably a dozen of important people or whatever but I know Mal and Karen are going for sure."

"Might as well, then. Maybe we'll get to meet some smoking hot ladies," Garfield beamed.

Victor wiggled his eyebrows, "What about getting to see your little elevator friend? You guys seemed oddly _comfortable_ with each other, after all," he grinned

Garfield felt his face burn up. He snickered awkwardly in an attempt to conceal his embarrassment. "Dude, who says we were?" he stammered.

"I don't know, Gar. I'd _never_ seen you act so smooth with a lady before. It was like it wasn't even you! Kissing her hand!? I've seen you trip over your own feet trying to talk to that one blonde at the bar! You didn't even stutter with this _Raven_ girl!"

Garfield's face flushed an impossible shade of red as he recalled the moment. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what had gotten into him when he pulled that move. Considering he had been terrified by the intimidating girl throughout the whole elevator ride, he didn't believe his impulsiveness had actually compelled him to kiss her hand _and_ make such intense eye contact (not to mention the little cafe episode that he hadn't yet talked to Vic about).

Not only that but he didn't believe a girl like _Raven_ could actually be nervous around him—the goofy, carefree, idiotic, and clumsy guy named after an obese orange cat. It honestly still felt like a dream, and Garfield couldn't help but pinch his arm again to make sure it wasn't (despite the fact that he'd done so more than twenty times since that day). Despite feeling utterly traumatized by his own actions, Garfield couldn't help but wish to meet her again. He'd been aching to see her since the moment she'd walked away from him that day at Wayne Enterprise, and when he had spotted her as he strolled by the cafe to get to the comic book store he visited on a weekly basis (he had recognized her hair, pale complexion, short stature and the outfit that complemented her curvaceous body well), he couldn't help but walk in to talk to her again, which had totally been worth it.

"Earth to Gar?" Victor interrupted his momentary stupor.

He muttered an unintelligible "Eh?"

"I asked if you liked her," Victor observed him with interest.

"Well, I mean…" Garfield's mouth went dry, and he struggled to find the proper words. "She's… hot..?"

Victor laughed, "You know that's not what I mean, green bean. You think girls are hot all the time, but I've never seen you look so dazed and so… red."

Garfield turned his face away despite knowing it wouldn't help, "I met her in an elevator for barely an hour, dude, and we barely talked in there considering she didn't seem to like me very much."

"Well, your almost-kiss looked pretty mutual to me," Victor grinned slyly.

"Dude! Just…" Garfield shrugged his shoulders and fumbled around with the zipper of his jacket. "Maybe? I don't know her very well…"

"... But you could get to know her better," Victor continued for him. "Would you like that?"

"I guess?" Garfield practically oozed insecurity (the complete opposite of how he had acted with Raven on those two occasions, which wasn't exactly reassuring for him).

"Then it's settled, I'll be your wingman at that party," Victor assured him.

"How do you know she'll even be at the party?" he muttered.

Victor placed a thought-provoking finger under his chin and remained silent for a few seconds. "I guess I'll find out. I know Karen works at Wally's place too. She might know something considering she's popular everywhere she lands. And if she doesn't, we'll figure something out. That guy Dick must know her if she works at his company."

"Maybe…" Garfield's thoughts trailed off as Victor got up to clean up their mess. He couldn't help but wonder more about Raven. There was something so oddly unique about her personality, but he couldn't really pinpoint it. He also couldn't help but think how coincidental their meeting had been considering the only reason he'd shown up at Wally's workplace was to return the house key he'd left at his house. Otherwise, he would've never thought about stepping foot in a place like _that_.

Sure, Garfield wasn't by any means poor (he was actually rather well-off), but he had never liked the snotty environment those types of prestigious company buildings emanated, especially from people like Richard Grayson, the boy wonder (that's the way magazines tended to refer to him considering he had climbed the ranks to vice president of his adoptive father's company at a rather young age).

So ending up in a building like that stuck in an elevator with a girl he found he liked (Maybe? He still wasn't sure) had to be more than _just_ a fluke, didn't it?

Perhaps the butterfly effect wasn't as awful as he'd originally deemed it to be. Perhaps it was some form of… destiny?

Garfield shook his head to get rid of his dangerous trail of thought. It was too early to deem it anywhere near destiny. Raven was just a random girl he'd met by random occurrence. There wasn't anything special about it, and there was a rather low chance he'd get to see her again. Even if he did see her again, he found it hard to believe a girl like _her_ would ever give a guy like _him_ the time of day.

He let out a dry chuckle. A girl like Raven paying attention to him would probably equal the end of the world, and even though life had been rather tough with Garfield, he did want to continue living… For the time being, at least.

Plus, such thing as a _happy_ destiny or "love at first sight" didn't exist for people like Garfield, and taking in account her demeanor, he doubted it existed for people like Raven either.

* * *

**Date: Saturday, March 23, 2019**

**A/N: I know I've been rather slow in updating Glass and quicker with this story but I haven't had a chance to write. Keep in mind that this story already has the first four chapters pre-written. The rest will be written as I get more feedback. Anyhow, this chapter contained minimal BBRae because I wanted to build up to the themes I will be tackling later on. I will eventually probably change the rating and genre of the story since I'm presuming it might get rather dark at one point.**

**So during the last chapter, I asked what Garfield pretended to be during the first few issues of the _Titans Volume 3_ run when he visited Raven at her school. The first person to answer correctly was, again, a guest and Allen Blaster with the answer bear.**** And you guys were correct! Garfield pretended to be a bear-a-gram as he deemed it, and I thought it was super cute! He also brought her flowers he ripped out of the front office plants which was such a Beast Boy thing to do XD**

**This question will be a little harder even though this chapter was rather short.  
The next chapter will be really long 5000+ words, but I might decide to split it in half...**

**Question**

**Raven once admitted to Garfield that "[she thought] about _?_ the Titans... a lot."  
(I'm looking for the exact word. It comes from the same issue the previous  
question was based on.)**

**Answer**

**?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: This chapter contains semi-sexual content.**

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

"_Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity."_

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Nice to see you again too, Rae," Garfield sent her his signature, idiotic grin as he plopped down beside her at the bar in Dick's oh-so luxurious penthouse.

Raven suppressed the urge to scream in frustration. She massaged the middle of her temple (like she usually did during or after an encounter with him) and huffed, "First of all, it's Ra-ven," she started. "Second of all, what the hell are you doing here?"

Garfield let out an aggravating snicker that resounded inside her head. "What do you think I'm doing here? I'm clearly sitting at a bar trying to pick up some ladies," he stated as if it were obvious.

"As in why are you at this party in the first place," she gritted her teeth. She didn't have the patience to deal with him at the moment.

"I was invited! Duh! How else would I have gotten here?" Garfield shrugged his shoulders.

"Who the fuck invited _you_?"

"Gee, Rae, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were flirting with me," he wiggled his eyebrows before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "Two can play at that game."

"Stop," she demanded, her hand pressing against his chest and pushing him back in his seat.

"Stop what?" Garfield tilted his head and watched her with curious, puppy-like eyes. If he wasn't so darn cute, she'd-

"Stop doing whatever the hell you're doing!" she exclaimed.

"Uh…" Garfield furrowed his eyebrows. "Talking?"

"No!" her eyes widened at her implication. "I mean, yes! Just leave me alone!" she groaned and placed her hands over her face to avoid eye contact. She was so not dealing with him today. She'd had a horrible day already, and she didn't need to add one more headache into her plate.

"You know, we must be meant to be. Three meetings already? The first one might've been luck, but I call this one destiny," he teased, bluntly ignoring her pleads and continuing to flirt with her.

"This is the opposite of luck," she grumbled as she waved over the bartender and asked for her second dry martini that hour. Perhaps she was already a bit tipsy, and you'd think she'd learned her lesson by now (considering he was sitting right next to her), but she really didn't care how drunk she got, she just didn't want to think at the moment.

"Want to hear a joke?" he abruptly asked.

"God, please no."

But alas, he continued without her compliance, "So a guy walks into a bar-"

"What did I do to deserve this?" she muttered under her breath as she took a sip of her martini.

"-and asks for 10 shots of the establishment's finest single malt scotch. The bartender sets him up, and the guy takes the first shot in the row and pours it on the floor. He then takes-"

She frowned when the inevitable thumping commenced inside her head.

"-the last shot in the row and does the same. The bartender asks, "Why did you do that?" And the guy replies, "Well the first shot always tastes like crap, and the last one always makes me sick!" he patted his knee and clutched his stomach as he burst into laughter.

Raven seemingly glared at the rack of wine bottles behind the bar. She continued to drink her martini while Garfield recuperated from his laughter attack.

"Aw come on! You can't tell me that wasn't good!" he whined like a little kid.

"It wasn't good," Raven deadpanned as she took a sip.

"Gee, tough audience," Garfield took a sip of his own beer bottle, which she had just noticed he had. Was she really that drunk already? And despite the realization, she couldn't bring herself to care. The only reason she was even at the party was because both Kory and Karen had insisted that she should go since it'd be _fun_. So far, this wasn't her definition of fun. She had to learn to stop listening to their suggestions, but admittedly, besides the fact that she was there to celebrate Dick and Kory's overdue engagement, she'd shown up to avoid moping around in her apartment and thinking about _him_. She clutched her glass tightly and grimaced as he invaded her thoughts yet again. She took another drink, hoping the buzz inside her head would soon blur out her memory.

"Oh! I got a better one!" Garfield started again, the thumping inside her head gaining speed and pressure. Could he just shut the fuck up?

"A gorilla walks into a bar and says, "A scotch on the rocks, please." The gorilla hands the-"

"Please stop…" she murmured, but he either didn't hear or he blatantly ignored her.

"-bartender a $10 bill. The bartender thinks to himself, "This gorilla doesn't know the prices of drinks," and gives him-"

His voice echoed inside her mind at a resounding volume, and she resisted the need to cover her ears in hopes that everything would go quiet, "Please shut up…" she insisted.

"-15 cents change. The bartender says, "You know, we don't get too many gorillas-"

At this point, his voice was like continuous thundering inside her head, and it felt like she had developed tinnitus just from listening to him. "Could you just fucking stop talking…" she clutched her ears. She was convinced that not even ripping her own ears off in front of him would discourage him from continuing his nonsensical blabber.

"-in here." The gorilla replies, "Well, at $9.85 a drink, I ain't-"

Raven downed her drink, and before she could properly consider the consequences of her actions, she snatched him by the collar and pulled him into a fervent kiss to shut him up. She deemed it a success considering his annoying voice ceased to be, and her hearing finally rested from the hell it'd been condemned to. _Much better_, she thought.

Garfield tensed up, completely taken aback by the unexpected smooch, but once he realized what was happening, he relaxed his shoulders, and his hands gently grasped the sides of her waist. His tongue eagerly slid inside her mouth the moment her lips parted, and he savoured the slight sweetness and overall alcoholic taste of her own tongue. To his surprise, Raven got out of her chair and sat on his lap, her legs swaying on either side of his chair as she pushed her body against his. The feel of her ample chest pressed against his own chest and her fingers caressing his hair while her other hand traveled down his back sent tremors across his skin and triggered something primal within him. His palms gradually slid down her waist in a greedy attempt to feel more of her.

Before their make-out session could ignite any further, however, they heard someone clear their throat behind them. Like a switch flicked on, Raven practically leaped out of his lap, her heels getting stuck on the bars below his seat and almost sending her tumbling on her back. He managed to grip her arms to stabilize her until she hurriedly jumped away from him and found her own balance. She avoided his gaze like it was the plague.

Richard Grayson crossed his arms and observed them curiously, "Uh, so… I was going to ask you something, Raven, but if you're busy, I can-"

"No, no, no!" Raven stammered. She didn't bother glancing at Garfield and instead latched onto Richard's arm and pulled him away into a hallway Garfield hadn't yet explored.

He couldn't help the burning jealousy flaring within his stomach, not to mention the fact that his body temperature felt like it had increased ten degrees in the course of a few minutes and his pants were feeling a bit too constricting. But once his body seemingly settled down, his brain kicked into action, and he was left wondering what the fuck had just taken place.

"Well that was a, uh, surprise," Dick cleared his throat. "I didn't realize you had a… partner..?"

"I don't," Raven mumbled through gritted teeth. "Now, what do you need?"

"I don't know if that's a very appropriate way to talk to the man who pays you, Raven," Dick commented amusingly.

Raven huffed and crossed her arms, "You very well much know you wouldn't fire me. You wouldn't find anyone to replace me," she smirked.

"Touché," Dick arched an eyebrow. "Anyhow, I came over to ask you if you could head over to the office tonight after the party and retrieve some files I left on my desk. They're in a manilla folder that you can't miss. They're kind of important, and Bruce is going to hand me my ass if I lose them."

Raven rolled her eyes and turned on her heel, "I'll go right now then."

"Woah, hold on there," Dick pulled her back. "You don't have to leave right now."

"I'd rather do it now. I'm starting to get a headache," she muttered while pressing a hand to her forehead.

Dick sighed, "Alright then, can you at least say bye to Kory? She'll be disappointed if you don't."

"Fine," she muttered and followed him to the living room.

Raven struggled through the crowd of people dancing to Pitbull's voice blasting through the speakers. Finally, she managed to stumble past the bunch to a sofa on the corner where Kory and a few of her other friends sat chatting. Her eyes lit up when she spotted Dick, and she hopped to her feet and tackled him with a hug, "Richard! Where did you go?"

"I went to get Raven," Dick sputtered through forced breaths. Kory finally released him from her suffocating hug, and she set her eyes on Raven.

"Friend! Where have you been? You disappeared a while ago, and we could not find you," Kory furrowed her eyebrows.

"I went to have a few drinks," Raven shrugged. "I have to go now, Kory. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night."

"What do you mean, Raven? Already? You didn't even find yourself a cute guy to dance with!" Karen perked up. She tsked disapprovingly, "I forbid you from leaving this building!"

"Bee, I really can't right now. I'm exhausted, and Dick wants me to go retrieve something from the office," she replied, hoping the blame would pass on to Dick.

As predicted, Karen sent Dick the dirty eye, "Fine, Rae. But one of us should drive you there, at least. It's already late, and you said you had a few drinks?"

"Don't worry, Bee. I'm not driving tonight. I'm taking the train," Raven assured.

Kory frowned, "Should you be taking the train so late at night?"

"Yeah, Kory's right. I can get someone to drive you there," Dick added.

Raven shook her head, "It's alright. I need some fresh air."

Dick frowned, "Raven, if you're-"

"I assure you I'll be okay. Have a good time and congratulations again," she smiled at Dick and Kory before heading out without another word.

The night was dark and placid. She clutched the sides of her jacket as she ambled down the street. The gentle wind wrapped around her expression and tickled her skin. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, attempting to calm her riled thoughts. God, it had been a stressful week. She couldn't wait to get home and sleep. For now, this was the best rest she'd get, however.

Unlike other girls, Raven wasn't afraid of walking down the dark street in the midst of the night. Growing up with both a mentally and physically abusive father as well as a careless mother allowed her to generate a protective shell around herself, and fear was no longer a prevalent quality. Sure, she knew it was dangerous, but that didn't scare her. After all, she wasn't afraid to die. She wasn't suicidal. On the contrary, she preferred to live in the present and if she happened to turn the corner early into death's door, she'd be ready.

It took her a ten-minute train ride and a twenty-minute walk to arrive at Wayne Enterprise. She unlocked the door, and she headed up the flights of stairs to Dick's office. When she retrieved the manila folder he had mentioned, she took a moment to sit down on Dick's chair and breathe. The room was silent and the only light source was that of the glass panel windows displaying the bright giant in the sky. She closed her eyes for one second, enough to calm herself. By the time she opened her eyes, she could hear the trickling on the windows and the faint rumble from the skies. How long had she been out?

She stumbled on her feet and hurried out. The alcohol seemed to have finally kicked in considering her head was woozy, and she felt like she was walking on a tightrope. Fortunately, she remembered to lock the door when she finally made it out of the building. Unfortunately, she was only wearing a thin jacket above her bodycon dress, and the temperature seemed to have dropped a few degrees with the storm.

Raven might've been stubborn, but she wasn't stupid. She took out her phone from her pocket to dial Dick. Seven missed calls within the course of an hour. Before she could even unlock her phone, the screen turned black.

"Shit," she muttered. She stuck the phone in her pocket and examined her surroundings.

It was even darker with the storm, and there wasn't a single soul outside. After all, who else was stupid enough to walk outside during a thunderstorm in the middle of the night?

She made sure to stick Dick's 'important' files inside her purse to avoid them getting wet. She sighed, and she made her way down the sidewalk, attempting to remain under the ceilings of each establishment yet still managing to get drenched. A few minutes into her walk, a car slowed down beside her, and Raven made sure to grip the pocket knife through the fabric of her jacket in case she'd have to use it. The windows rolled down, and instead of glaring at the individual as she intended, her jaw dropped open.

"Seriously Rae? Taking a stroll in the middle of the night during a storm? I didn't think you were that daring," Garfield grinned at her.

"How the hell.."

"Get inside and I'll explain."

Raven didn't hesitate on getting in the car considering the water was seeping through her layers, and she was already freezing. Garfield took off his jacket and handed it to her. Though she was a sole opposer of chivalry, Raven also didn't want to get hypothermia, so she grabbed the jacket and hastily slipped it on.

"I just got out of the party, thought you were still there. I was headed to my apartment when I saw someone walking out. I was curious and imagine my surprise when I realized it was you," he chuckled as he drove calmly down the street. "What are you doing out?"

"Had to pick up some files for Dick," she muttered.

"Oh…" he replied with furrowed eyebrows. "He sent you out on foot during a storm? Sounds like a _dick_ move."

Raven noticed the playful grin on his expression, and she rolled her eyes. "He didn't. I sent myself. Fell asleep for a while inside, and I didn't realize it was going to rain." She clutched her sides tightly and rubbed them, wishing she could be wrapped inside the warm blankets of her bed.

"Where's your place?" he asked.

"It's only a block away. Turn right on the McDonald's at Lamar."

"Huh, that's actually pretty close to my apartment."

Raven didn't comment on it, and when they pulled up outside her apartment building, they sat in silence for a second. She reached inside her purse in search of her keys. When she didn't feel them, she let out a loud groan.

"What's up?" he arched an eyebrow.

"I think I left my keys at Dick's place," she grumbled while pressing two fingers on the bridge of her nose. "Can I borrow your phone?"

"Sure," he reached his hand into his back pocket. After fumbling around for it, his eyes went wide. "Shit…"

"Please don't tell me…"

"I forgot I left it charging at my apartment before the party. I wasn't counting on using it considering I was going with Vic and nobody else calls me," he snickered awkwardly, his hand scratching the back of his head.

Garfield bit his lip, and he swallowed a sense of apprehension, hoping she wouldn't snap at him for what he was about to say next. "You can stay at my place… If you want…" he offered.

Raven spent a few seconds contemplating her options. He couldn't drop her off at any of her friend's places considering they were all planning to stay at Dick's. She could technically go back to Dick's place and crash there, but it was at least a thirty-minute drive, and Raven already felt like passing out. Not to mention she would have to explain herself to everyone, and they were probably going to continue their party for another few hours. Would she even be able to sleep with the blasting music?

She could accept Garfield's offer, but she didn't exactly know him. It was taking a risk, and with everything that had been happening beforehand, did she _really_ trust him? He seemed like a nice guy, but she couldn't judge him purely on that fact. Then again, she was good at reading people, and he didn't seem to have any malicious intent. Their run-in had also been a coincidence, so he couldn't have planned anything.

"Okay," she replied.

Garfield grinned and turned on the engine. He drove down a few blocks, the only sound coming from the drops hitting the glass and the low hum of the radio in the background. He parked his car at a much nicer apartment building than Raven's, and she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, a bit surprised that he could afford a place like that.

"Well, this is it," he turned off the engine and reached behind his seat to grab an umbrella. "Here ya go," he handed it to her.

"What about you?"

"Rae, I'm not the one drenched and freezing," he grinned and hopped out of the car.

Raven opened the umbrella and followed him inside the apartment complex. After making a few turns, they stopped at a door near the end of the hallway numbered fifty-two. Garfield fumbled around in his pocket and retrieved his keys. He unlatched the door and extended a hand to let her walk in first. She raised an eyebrow before walking inside.

His apartment was quite homey with an electric fireplace in the living room and a few sofas around it. There was a dining table behind one of the sofas right next to the kitchen. The walls were painted a dull grey and there were a lot of paintings of nature around, making it feel like a forest. There was a small, electric fountain atop one of the coffee tables releasing a relaxing sound.

"Make yourself at home," Garfield smiled as he placed his keys on the coffee table. When he noticed her rubbing the sides of her arms, he hurriedly snatched a towel from one of the closets and handed it to her. "There's a bathroom down the hallway, third door to your right. I can lend you one of my t-shirts and shorts. You really have to get out of those wet clothes or you'll get sick. I'll leave them outside the bathroom door."

Raven nodded and grabbed the towel before walking towards the bathroom. After taking a relaxing hot shower, she peeked out the bathroom and as promised, there were some shorts and a t-shirt gently folded in front of the door. She decided to skip the bra considering it was thoroughly drenched and the shirt was a solid, dark color. She did, however, keep her panties as they had managed to dry during the course of her shower. Fortunately, both of Garfield's garments fit fairly well.

When she exited the restroom, she could hear sounds coming from the kitchen. She left her wet clothing hanging from one of the doors and followed the sounds. Garfield was inside fumbling about in the pantry.

"What are you doing?"

He seemingly jerked at the sound of her voice and hit his forehead against one of the shelves from the abrupt movement. "Ow," he muttered and backed away, a hand clutching his head.

"You okay?" she questioned.

"Yeah, you just scared me," he chuckled. He surprised her when he took out a tea box from the pantry.

"You drink tea..?" she raised both eyebrows.

"Nah, but my mom… used to," he muttered, his voice lowering.

Raven nodded and decided to avoid the topic.

Garfield's eyes traced down her body, and his face flushed a bit. "Uh, I'm glad they fit…" he muttered, his eyes glancing for a little too long at his shirt which fit snugly around her chest.

Raven sent him a glare, and Garfield quickly looked away. She walked to the living room where her phone was plugged in and dialed Dick.

"Raven!?" he exclaimed when he picked up. "What the hell? I called you about twenty times and you didn't answer. Kory was worried that you'd-"'

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, letting Dick's lecture end. Five minutes later, she finally had room to speak. "I'm at a friend's place. He saw me walking down the street in the middle of the storm and brought me to his place. My phone died, and I left my keys at your house. That's why I didn't answer."

"I thought you said you wouldn't do the whole not charging your phone thing again after last time," he grumbled.

"I haven't exactly had the best day, and Kory and Karen insisted I go, so it completely slipped my mind to charge my phone. Not to mention you're the one who sent me off on this errand of yours," she pointed out.

"Fine," Dick sighed. "Do you need me to send someone to pick you up?"

"Don't worry about it. It's storming pretty badly out there, and everyone's probably busy enjoying themselves. I have a feeling most of you guys are drunk too. I can just crash here."

"Who are you with?" he asked.

Raven bit her lip, debating whether she should tell him or not. "A friend," she repeated.

"What friend?" he insisted, taking on his usual older brother role.

"Richard, I'm fine," she muttered.

Dick didn't drop the subject, however. "You called him a he. Is it the guy you were with earlier?"

"Yes. You happy with that answer?"

"I don't-"

"I'm fine, Richard. I'm hanging up now," she rolled her eyes before hanging up the phone. She placed the phone on the coffee table and let out a deep breath. She still felt a little woozy from the alcohol in her body, and she was struggling with keeping her eyes open.

"One cup of tea for the miss," Garfield entered the room holding a mug with steaming liquid. He placed it on the table in front of her and took a seat on the sofa facing the one she was sitting on. Raven took hold of the tea and blew on it before taking a sip. Though it wasn't the way she preferred it, it was tolerable and the burning on her tongue served as a distraction from her thumping head.

"Hey, Rae, about what happened at the party… Our, uh, moment…" he sheepishly scratched the back of his head, his confident persona seemingly melting away. "Did you do that just to shut me up or…"

Raven gulped down the last bit of her tea in a few seconds and glanced at him. "That… Was a mistake," she muttered.

"Oh…" he squeaked. "That's alright too, I guess."

Raven felt a twinge of remorse in her chest and before she could help it, she started talking, "Gar, you're a really nice guy… but I'm not really looking for a relationship."

Garfield remained silent for a few seconds before asking, "Why not?"

The question caught her by surprise considering she didn't expect the insistence from a guy like him. He appeared to notice as he quickly exclaimed, "I didn't mean it in a forceful way… I was just curious. Sorry, I shouldn't intrude on your personal life."

"Don't worry about it," she muttered and traced the hem of her cup. "I just got out of a particularly abusive relationship, and I'm not really ready for another one," she explained. She wasn't sure why she was opening up, but she presumed it was the alcohol speaking. "It's a little hard to get over someone who was a part of your life for so long… Someone who you trusted with every bit of your soul. It's really hard," she admitted, her eyes avoiding his own.

After a few moments of silence, he spoke, "I know what you mean."

Raven glanced at him, and his mind appeared to be in a different world considering he was looking off into nothingness with glossy eyes.

"I was in a similar situation," he started. "I thought she was the love of my life. Turns out I was wrong… And the worst part is, I can't even stand to be mad at her."

"Why not?" she dared to ask.

Garfield sighed, "She passed away about a year ago after cheating on me with her partner in crime. Even if I have a lot of resentment towards her, I can't help but wish she was still with me sometimes."

They sat in tense silence, unsure of what to say. Garfield chuckled sadly, and Raven felt a strange sense of pity towards the way he seemed to conceal his grief behind his laughter. "We're both kind of fucked up, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess we are," she nodded while biting the inside of her lip.

Garfield stood up, and Raven assumed he was heading to his bedroom, but he took a seat next to her instead. He stayed quiet for a long while, and she wondered if she should say something, but she couldn't find anything to address.

"You can sleep on my bed tonight. I can stay here," he finally said.

"It's your house, Gar. I should sleep here."

"Nah, I insist. Besides, sometimes it's good to sleep on the couch. Change of scenery and all," he smiled.

Raven stared at him for a moment, a rather stupid idea coming to fruition inside her head. She bit her lip, "We could both sleep on the bed."

Garfield's eyes widened, and his mouth opened and closed as if trying to find the words to speak. All that came out was an unintelligible, "Wha?"

Raven rolled her eyes and turned to face him. "You said it yourself. We're both damaged goods, and you can't really deny the ongoing tension we seem to have. Why don't we… I don't know… Act on it?"

"... What do you mean… I thought you said you weren't ready for a relationship?" he tilted his head.

"Not a relationship," she declared. "More of a _fling_, I guess you could call it." _Yep, the alcohol had officially taken over. _But she still couldn't bring herself to care. Perhaps it was exactly what she needed.

"Like… Friends with benefits..?" he questioned carefully.

Raven nodded, and Garfield regarded her with surprise. "Raven, I think you might be drunk… We really shouldn't agree on something like this while you're in this state."

"I'm not drunk, Gar. I just…" she searched around for the words. "I need something to get my mind off of…" She couldn't say his name. She wouldn't. "... Everything, I guess. Can you deny that you don't need something to distract you?"

"It's not healthy, Rae."

Raven moved closer to him, "Being caught up on your dead girlfriend isn't healthy either, Gar, especially after she cheated on you."

"I… don't know," he stuttered.

Raven rolled her eyes, feeling rather impatient with him. She stood up and abruptly took a seat on his lap, her thighs sitting on either side of him and her eyes tracing his expression curiously. On instinct, he set his hands on her waist, and he gawked at her, unsure of what to do. She felt her grip on herself deteriorating, but she didn't act on her impulses just yet. "Well..?" she asked.

She pressed herself against his body, her nose practically touching his. The feeling of her soft chest against his front and his realization that she had forgone her bra considering he could feel her nipples harden caused his pants to instantly grow tighter.

"... I… Okay…" he gave in.

She smiled, the same kind of expression he had given her during his teasing moments. Her indigo eyes stared deeply into his own forest green eyes, and he found himself entranced by them. Then, it took only a spark to ignite the fire. As soon as their lips made contact, Garfield pulled her tighter against his torso and rubbed the sides of her waist. The kiss was the complete opposite of gentle and sweet seeing as it was a product of the sexual tension that had been building up since the day they'd met. It was starved and rough, their lips colliding desperately as if they were feeding off each other's life force.

Her nails scraped down his back and released a flood of shivers across his body. In the course of a few seconds, his body felt like it was on fire, the flames enwrapping his limbs and fogging up his mind. His palms sneakily made their way under her shirt, and he caressed the skin of her back. When she didn't object, his palms gently traveled up her spine, admiring the softness of her skin.

He felt Raven breathe in like she was anticipating his next move. Garfield took the chance to slip his tongue inside her mouth, and he savored the taste of every nook and cranny. She moaned into the kiss, and Garfield's palms wondered around her before squeezing her breasts. He rolled his fingers around her nipple, admiring the feel of it hardening against his touch. She let out a purr-like sound, and it flipped a switch inside Garfield.

He abruptly raised her up and laid her on her back, quickly slipping off his shirt for a moment. He instantly crashed his lips against hers once again, and his hands clutched the sides of her shirt before raising it above her head. He threw the shirt to the side and admired the view of her for a moment, his eyes tracing every detail of her body like he was memorizing her. He leaned down and found her lips again, leaving a trail of kisses around her mouth. His lips traced down the side of her neck before finding their way to her chest. He planted a light kiss of her right breast before taking it into his mouth, his tongue swirling around and arising a moan. One of his hands gently massaged her left breast while the other gently snapped the band of her shorts (technically his).

Raven's nails raked across his back lightly, and they ended up at the band of his own sweatpants. Before she could make another move, Garfield took hold of her hands and stared at her. Raven furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Are you sure you want this, Rae?" he asked, his eyes full of desire, apprehension, and a spark of innocence that made her hesitate for only a moment. However, the passing thought of her previous lover was the only thing it took for her to swiftly flip them around and eagerly nod before her mouth attacked his own and her hands earnestly slid inside his pants.

Raven knew it was a terrible idea. She knew it was unhealthy. She knew she'd probably regret it down the line.

But Raven was also a live-in-the-moment type of girl, and at the moment, she desperately needed to latch onto a distraction that didn't involve her ex. And lucky for her, Garfield served as the perfect distraction.

* * *

**Date: Sunday, April 14, 2019**

**A/N: This is the closest I'm getting to writing sexually-explicit material. I don't think I can pull it off, to be honest. It takes certain skills to pull off a sexy scene, but it's a skill I don't really hold. I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. Someone mentioned in the last chapter that this story has a lighter feel than my others. Though it is somewhat lighter than the Broken-Glass series, I'm warning you now it will get a little darker. I don't know if you've guys caught any of my hints throughout the past chapters but neither Raven nor Gar are kind of in great mind states right now, so it might end up going a somewhat dark route.**

**I'm not doing questions and answers anymore just because I don't have any more pre-made chapters, and it takes extra time to come up with questions. The answer to the last question was "murdering" and the closest person was Taygon55. Good job! You know your comics! I love the issue too!**

**If you haven't seen my A/N in Glass, I've been really busy, so the chapters will have longer time periods in between. Thank you for reading and please review. It makes me happy!**


	5. Chapter 5

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

"_It would be impossible to estimate how much time and energy we invest in trying to fix, change and deny our emotions - especially the ones that shake us at our very core, like hurt, jealousy, loneliness, shame, rage, and grief."_

Debbie Ford

Raven awoke from the spill of sun rays through the curtains of a foreign bedroom. For a moment, she wondered where she was until the body stirring next to her triggered her questionable decision-making from the previous night.

"Morning," he murmured though Raven didn't look at him. She really didn't want to. She felt her face grow crimson with embarrassment and anger. Not at him but at herself. Since when did she allow her decisions to be fueled by subjectivity? She had never before stumped to such a low!

She knew the answer to the question, but she decided she didn't want to address that topic or else she'd spiral into the emotions that caused her on-going conundrum in the first place. She sat up, still avoiding Garfield's stare, and begun to dress.

"Raven?" he asked, but she chose not to answer.

When she finished, she got out of bed and walked to the living room where her phone was still perched atop the coffee table. Fourteen missed calls.

"Are you going to talk to me?" she heard his voice from behind her.

Raven finally addressed him, her eyes only briefly tracing his own before she slightly looked away as if he were just another mistake. Which, though it felt rude to admit, he was. "I have to go," she simply told him.

"So… We're not going to talk about this?" he questioned, though he sounded neither disappointed nor angry about it. In fact, he sounded rather apathetic, much different than the Garfield that annoyed her to hell the previous night. It was somewhat disheartening to hear that emotion (or lack thereof) from him.

"I don't believe you fully understand the whole friends-with-benefits arrangement," she retorted, sounding more hostile than she intended.

"Oh, trust me, I understand," he snorted with no humor in his tone. "And this isn't a particularly proper way to treat a friend."

She was quick to respond, "We're not friends, Gar."

"Fine. _Fuck-buddies_ then," he snapped. "Look, Raven, if you never want to see me again after this, I get it. I'm not going to chase after you like some sort of creep or pathetic wimp. But I'm not going to let you just walk out of here without knowing where we stand. I don't want you to come knocking at my door one day expecting me to be willing to be a distraction from your ex again. If we're doing... whatever this is, we're going to act like consenting and rational adults."

Raven took a moment to respond as the certainty in his voice took her by surprise, and she opened her mouth a few times before she finally got a word out, "I wasn't thinking straight yesterday. It was the alcohol talking."

She heard him laugh quietly under his breath, and she clenched her fists, irritation replacing the anger clouding her mind. She knew she was just trying to find an excuse to blame him. To blame someone else, something else.

"This was a mistake," she reworded, finally locking eyes with him. The words felt like venom in her tongue, and she desperately wanted to spit them out.

There was no hurt in his eyes. On the contrary, there was an absence of any emotion. It was one of the rare instances where Raven wasn't able to read someone, and it sort of scared her—the fact that this lively being constantly blurting out dumb jokes and greeting her with a smile was so devoid of any trace of emotion that she couldn't properly understand what he was thinking.

Garfield nodded, "Alright, Raven. Go ahead. Just please don't come back expecting me to open my arms wide and act like your sex toy when you don't know how to deal with your feelings."

Raven felt her blood boil, and before she could think about her words, she snarled, "I'm not the hypocrite still caught up with my cheating dead girlfriend."

There was a slight shift in his expression so fleeting Raven almost didn't catch it. He turned around and visibly breathed in. "Just leave," he murmured.

Raven felt a twinge of remorse, but she was too stubborn to apologize. In some sort of sick way, his own hurt helped alleviate her painful emotions. She snatched her bag and stomped out of the apartment building, opting not to close the door as she physically couldn't look back without regretting everything.

When she walked out of the complex building, she stood outside for a moment, unsure of what to do next. She dialed Kory's phone number. It rang… and rang…

"Hey, it's Kory..."

"Kory, could you-"

"... I'm busy right now, but you can leave a message, and I'll answer as soon as I can!"

_Beep._

She froze for a few seconds, her ears only registering the silence at the other end. Raven hung up and sighed. She heard the faint thundering of the sky above her, warning her to get home soon. How she was going to do that without her keys? She had no idea.

She started walking, trying desperately to grasp to something besides the bitter taste in her mouth from her nasty remark to Garfield. He didn't deserve that. She knew it, but she couldn't get herself to walk back to apologize. To tell him she was hurt, that she desperately needed a pair of arms to console her and lay with her, to just listen to her self-deprecating comments and reassure her that she was enough, that she wasn't the bad guy, that she wasn't as hurtful as her father. That, unlike him, she had a soul that emphasized with those around her. But she knew it wouldn't happen because it wasn't true, and her words toward Garfield confirmed that fact. She was an abusive monster like her father, and she was a heartless bitch like her mother.

The sky howled another distressing cry and poured down its tears. However, unlike yesterday, Garfield wasn't there to help Raven.

* * *

"Green bean?" Victor called out as he stepped inside his friend's apartment with his spare key. The room was overtly dark and quiet, odd considering Garfield usually always left the television on.

"Gar?" he asked again as he opened the door to his bedroom. A sudden squeal startled him and a topless blonde girl quickly covered herself before running past Victor. "Woah!" he exclaimed before turning around.

"Cyborg! What's up, dude?" Garfield laughed as he got out of bed as naked as the day he was born.

"Dude, put some clothes on. I'd rather avoid another incident like that one time in tenth-grade Gym class," Victor muttered.

He heard Garfield shift behind him, "Alright dude, it's fine, you can turn around."

Victor turned to see his friend thankfully clothed and lying on his bed with a hand behind his head and a bottle of tequila on the other. "So…" he started as he approached the bed, his eyebrows furrowed. "What's up with you today? You didn't show up at the garage."

"What do you mean? I'm having the time of my life!" Garfield wooed before taking another sip of the bottle. "What's wrong with you?"

"Gar…" Victor took a seat on the bed by his friend's feet. "Did something happen?"

"Why do you ask?" Garfield chuckled. "Nothing happened. I just happened to run into this cute girl at the bar and decided to bring her home."

"A blonde, blue-eyed, petite girl suddenly ends up in your bed after you ditched going to bars to drink alone since you almost overdosed?" Victor raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, that's believable." He sighed, "Seriously, Gar, tell me what happened? Did you try to visit Steve again?"

Garfield snorted, "Everything is fine. I haven't seen that old man since a few months ago. And that slut practically begged me for it. I just gave her what she wanted."

Victor took a deep breath and scratched his forehead, unsure of what to do next. "Gar, I want to help-" he turned back to his friend, but he was already passed out.

He stood up and placed a blanket over Garfield. He made sure to turn him on his side in case he threw up. He exited the room and strolled to the kitchen where he found an empty bottle of tequila and two more full ones on the counter. Victor once again sighed and took out his phone to dial a friend.

"Hey, Wally, care to come over to Gar's place right now? He seems to have…" Victor glanced at the bottles. "Gotten hold of some old unhealthy habits, and I need some help taking care of him and getting him to talk."

"Ah shit, not again. I'll be there as soon as I can," Wally assured him. "Hang tight Vic. Just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Don't worry. He's passed out drunk. Not an overdose though, fortunately," he explained. "Just get here when you can."

"Got it," Wally replied before hanging up.

Victor took a seat on the couch amidst the dark room, the silence overpowering every sound. "God Gar, what hole did you spiral into this time…" he whispered to himself, attempting to avoid the old troublesome memories the situation brought.

* * *

Raven opted to turn off her phone after the fifth time it rang. She knew Kory was worried about her. She knew she was probably blaming herself for not answer her call that morning. However, Raven didn't have enough energy to talk to Kory. Especially considering she'd probably bombard her with a hundred questions about her whereabouts.

She lied back on the couch, a hand on her forehead, and closed her eyes. She settled her breathing, attempting to calm her riled thoughts.

_In. Out. In. Out._

She was exhausted yet at the same time she couldn't seem to fall asleep. She wished she could just stop thinking once and for all.

_Knock. Knock._

Raven sighed, wondering which of her friends had decided to come searching for her after the many ignored calls. She willed all of her strength into getting up and walking to the door. She didn't even bother checking who it was.

That was her first mistake.

"Raven…"

"Malchior," she stammered, her hand gripping the door handle. "What are you doing here?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"I'm here for you."

* * *

**Date: Monday, April 22, 2019**

**A/N: This is a short chapter, I know, but I wanted to address the night-after situation. It's about to get a lot more angsty y'all, my expertise. I'll admit I like this story a little more than the Broken-Glass series because it's more character-driven. I'm struggling a bit more on Glass because my plot is the driving force, while Gar and Raven's characters are leading here. I've always been a character-focused writer, so it's a bit harder to develop the plot for me. I'll try to update Glass this week, but it depends on how much work I have.**

**Also, I wonder why the number of views doubled the moment I switched the rating of this story... Hmmph.**

**ALTHGVRRA - Your review made me so happy! I'm glad you like the story!**

**Chaotic Coffee Bean - Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

"_There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds."_

Laurell K. Hamilton

"Just…" Raven placed a hand over her forehead and sighed. "Please leave. I can't deal with you right now."

"You used to love spending time with me, Raven. What happened?" he asked, taking a step forward and causing her to stumble back, hand slipping off the door handle.

"Malchior, I don't know how many times I have to tell you that we're over," she muttered through gritted teeth.

Malchior continued walking forward, practically cornering Raven in her own apartment. "I've asked you to forgive me countless times, Raven. What more do I have to do?"

"Leave," she narrowed her eyes and froze in her spot, fists clenched.

Malchior pushed her back on the couch and stared down at her, "Why won't you forgive me?"

"Just go away!" Raven jumped up and tried to push him back, but he snatched her wrists and held her in place.

"Leave her alone!" someone exclaimed from behind them and in the span of a second, Malchior was on the ground next to her. Dick held him down with an elbow to make sure he didn't move.

"Oh, Raven! Are you alright?" Kory hurriedly placed her arms around her, though Raven seemingly froze in place, silently staring forward. She felt nothing. No fear. No anger. No sadness. Nothing.

"Yes, this is Dick Grayson. I need an officer at ***** right away. I have a report on an intrusion and domestic abuse," she heard Dick talking in the background. "Yes, I have him contained."

"Friend?" Kory pulled her away and examined her. "Did he do something?"

"No," she finally responded by shaking her head. "No, Kory. I'm alright."

* * *

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!" Garfield awoke to Victor's blaring voice. He groaned into his pillow and turned to his side. "Go away," he murmured.

"No can do, soldier. I'm here to stay," Vic replied, and Garfield felt him sit next to him on the bed. "You brought on quite a show yesterday, Gar. And you wouldn't tell me why."

Garfield groaned again and buried his head deeper into the pillow, "I don't want to talk about it."

"On other occasions, I wouldn't insist with you Gar but considering the condition I found you in yesterday, I really do want to know what triggered it," he continued.

Garfield removed his face from the pillow and turned to look at him, "I really don't want to talk about it, Vic."

"Was it something involving you parents? Or Tara? Or Jillian?"

"It had nothing to do with them," he sat up and knocked the back of his head on the bed frame.

"Then?" Victor asked again.

Garfield remained silent for a second before answering, "I ran into Raven after the party."

"Raven…" Victor furrowed his eyebrows, seemingly attempting to recall the name. "Oh, the elevator girl?"

Garfield nodded, "She was walking alone in the rain, I gave her a ride home but turns out she didn't have any keys so I brought her over to help…" he sighed. "I made a stupid mistake, slept with her, next morning we fought because she didn't want to talk about what happened or the fact that she was just using me to feel better."

"And then..?" Victor pushed on.

"And then," Garfield took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "She told me I was a hypocrite because I'm still caught up with Tara when I told her she couldn't deal with her feelings … which is true."

Victor nodded as he spoke. "And it caused you to spiral into an episode?" he asked.

Garfield remained quiet considering he already knew the answer to that statement. He shrugged, "I thought Raven was different. I guess there really isn't anyone perfect out there for me. Not after Tara…"

Victor sighed and rubbed the top of his head as he paced around the room. He hated seeing his best friend like this. It worried him to even leave him in the apartment by himself. Not after what happened last time.

"I'll tell you what. You need to get out of this place."

"And go where?"

"We need a guy's night out. No alcohol. No girls. Just our buddies and us hanging out, having some fun."

Garfield huffed, "And what do you expect to do?"

"We can head to a club with Roy and Wally or something. Just have a fun night out."

"You realize that's the opposite of no alcohol and no girls?" he groaned as he slumped back down. "Can't I just stay here?"

"Fine, how about we go out to eat, then? Better idea that way? We can just hang out, maybe go to a Bee's place after to see what she's got going."

"Bee always has something going on, and there's almost always girls and alcohol."

"I won't let you get near them though," Victor pointed out. He clutched Garfield's shoulder and forced him to sit up. "Come on. It'll be fun. I promise."

* * *

Dick accompanied the cops to take Malchior in after they arrived, and Kory stayed back to make sure Raven was okay because she clearly wasn't. Even after dozens of questions, Raven had barely spoken a word. Kory had already gone through all the motions, making her tea, sitting her on the bed, bringing her a comfy blanket and a pillow, yet Raven still wasn't talking to her.

"Could you at least tell me what happened?" Kory asked her yet again.

She knew her friend was worried, but she couldn't bring herself to talk at all. She was exhausted. All she wanted to do was lie down and never wake up. She was tired of faking her way through everything. After Malchior, everything had gotten more difficult, and she could barely stand her repetitive schedule. Even when the girls had attempted to take her out, it proved to be a bad idea.

"When I went to pick up those files for Dick, my phone was dead, and it started to rain. There was no way for me to contact anyone at all, and by chance," she took a deep breath. "This guy I met a few weeks ago showed up in his car."

"A guy?" She could hear the hope behind Kory's tone, and strangely enough, she could feel a tinge of it too, but she preferred to dismiss the feeling. She couldn't spiral into that hole. Not again. Not after she slept with him.

"His name is Gar. We met in an elevator…"

"Oh how romantic!" Kory squealed.

Raven sent her a glare, and she instantly shut her mouth.

"Sorry," she squeaked. "Go on."

"Much to say, he's an annoying doofus…" she breathed out and looked down at her hands, guilt overwhelming her yet again. She hated the feeling—like something was eating her out from the inside, reminding her that it was her fault, that it wasn't supposed to happen that way, that Gar was correct in saying she couldn't deal with her emotions. She had never been able to fully conquer them, not her. And then she had pinned it all on Gar, even after he'd refused to sleep with her after he told her she wasn't in the right mindset. But she had insisted because deep down, she knew she did it to forget about _him_ for just a moment. A moment in which, dangerously enough, she had uncovered some other disturbing feeling she'd rather not acknowledge, a puzzling sentiment toward Gar himself. She didn't like it one bit. "But he's nice. He gave me a ride home, but I realize I didn't have my keys, and he didn't have his phone. There was no way to contact anyone, and it was too late to find the landlord to open the door for me. So he took me to his place."

Kory's expression shifted from hope to concern, "Did he..?"

"He didn't do anything bad if that's what you mean," she shook her head before looking up at her, eyes as vulnerable as they could get. She hated when she got like this, especially around other people, even if that person was Kory. She preferred to have her moments alone, locked in her apartment to break down by herself, without concerning anyone. Despite faking that perfect image, Raven was not perfect at all. She was a mess inside. "It was me who did something."

"What did you do?" Kory stared at her with furrowed eyebrows.

"I slept with him even after he told me not to, even after he told me about his dead girlfriend and after I told him about Malchior. I was hurting. I was somewhat dazed from the alcohol. I was tired," tears started streaming down her cheeks, and she turned away to prevent Kory from seeing her like that. Kory placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Tired of feeling so conflicted. My head is a mess. I don't even know what to think or what to do. I just wanted a break from my thoughts, and I saw the opportunity with him."

"And you regret it?"

It took Raven a moment to answer. Did she regret it? For sure, she regretted the way she had treated him the morning after. But did she _really_ regret their moments together? After all, he'd been so caring, so gentle with the way he grazed her skin, ran his fingers through her locks, kissed her in such a passionate way, always asking her if something was okay. He was so loving in the way he had handled her. Surely, it didn't feel like _just another fling_. She'd had casual hookups before and never before had she felt so adored with any of them. It felt like…

Raven bit her lip, hard enough to draw blood. Kory noticed, and she was quick to bring her a towel. She gently patted the spot to clean her up as if Raven wasn't in the condition to do it herself. She really wasn't.

"I don't," she confessed after Kory put the towel down. "But I treated him really badly afterward. I went as far as to bring up his girlfriend. And I could tell he was really hurt. He told me to never come back to him."

"And you'll do what he told you to?"

After a second, she nodded. "I respect his wishes. I acted like an asshole. Besides, I don't deserve someone like him."

Kory breathed in and grasped her hand ever-so-gently. She sent her friend, her sister by heart, a faint smile, "I think someone like him might be exactly what you need, Raven, but I'm not one to tell you what to do. Only you know what's best for you, and only you know if you're ready to get out of this hole of despair you've trapped yourself in."

Raven simply stared at her, unsure of what to say. She was right. Kory was always right when it came to situations like that.

A knock on the door startled them both, and Kory got up to answer. When she opened the door, Karen practically paraded into the living room with a wide smile. "Ready for a girl's night out?"

Kory glanced at Raven before saying, "I don't think it's the right time for a night out, Bee."

"No, it's okay," Raven surprised them and herself by uttering that. But she smiled. Perhaps she was ready to take Kory's advice. "I'm sure it'll be fun."

* * *

"So are we contacting Bee after this to see if she has a party going on or what?" Roy questioned as he popped another fry into his mouth.

Garfield admitted it, the place was nice. They'd never been to this particular dinner to eat out. The food was pretty good, the music was great, and the ambient of people chatting was a nice change of scenery from his lonely apartment. But there were a lot of hot waitresses carrying beers around, and every time Garfield caught one in sight, he hurriedly turned away to resist the temptation.

"That's the plan," Vic nodded.

"Your plates will be out in just a few more minutes," the waitress who was attending them told them, sending a flirty smile toward Garfield before walking away.

"You see how she looked at you?" Wally laughed. "Lucky son of a bitch. You always get so much attention when we go out. I wish I had that many girls chasing after me."

"Not sure if Jinx would like that," Vic arched an eyebrow.

"Pfft," Wally dismissed him. "Jinx and I are off again. She found herself some bad influence boyfriend."

"I'm sure she'll come back to you. She always does," Roy added as he glimpsed at Gar. "I'm pretty sure they just get that casual hook-up vibe from Gar, probably why they're always swooning."

Vic elbowed him with a killer glare.

"Sorry, that was cold," Roy admitted and sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it," Garfield smiled and took a drink of his coke. "It's probably true. At least you guys get the committed ones."

"Don't say that, Gar. There's a girl out there for you. Just you wait," Vic patted his back.

Garfield sighed and stood up. "I'm heading to the restroom," he announced before walking away, but not before hearing a not so subtle, "Way to go Harper. That was messed up."

Admittedly, Garfield wasn't walking away just because of that. He just wasn't feeling up for a guy talk.

"Excuse me. Where's the restroom?" he asked the woman at the counter.

"Down to your left," she pointed to the hallway, eyes not glancing up from her notebook.

Garfield followed her directions, and when he spotted the door to the guy's restroom in front of the girl's, his eyes brightened. He just needed a little splash on the face, just to wake him up from his daze.

Faith is a funny concept, but at the moment, it derived no form of amusement for Garfield. He would've taken anything, running into a biker dude, one of his casual one night stand partners, even that one elderly lady he had accidentally stolen a seat from in the bus and had been too sheepish to stand up because it'd be awkward to offer it after minutes of sitting there like a dumbass, _anything_. However, what he didn't want to deal with was running into the current problematic person in his life.

"Raven," he stammered as she ran into him after exiting the girl's room.

She gaped at him, probably as unsure about the situation as he was. They had two options here, completely ignore each other and pretend it never happened or actually talk things through.

Considering Garfield had already acknowledged her, he had kind of already unintentionally chosen the latter.

"Gar," she nodded.

"What a coincidence," he muttered, standing there awkwardly on his heels holding his hands like a grounded child, avoiding her hypnotizing indigo eyes at all cost as if she were Medusa herself.

"What a coincidence indeed," she didn't take her eyes off of him.

Faith—Garfield had never been sure if he believed in it, but at the moment, life was doing nothing but convincing him that for whatever reason, Raven was meant to be in his life. Or perhaps it was just another messed up butterfly effect moment.

But he doubted that.

I mean, how many coincidences does it take for the butterfly effect to turn into destiny itself?

* * *

**Date: Tuesday, July 30, 2019**

**A/N: I'll say what I said in the Glass note. I've been working on a novel for Camp NaNo this month which is why I haven't updated. It's been going great! I'm pretty sure I might finish it in a few months, and it'll take a few more to revise. I'm hoping to release it as a free e-book. It has a very similar style to my fanfictions, though it's completely original. It's a Mystery/Romance novel, my first one. I really hope I can gain your support on this. I'm very excited to share it! I hope you guys liked this chapter. It was a little hard to get into this particular mood. I feel like this story is a little more emotional than my other's. Thanks for reading!**

**Sanzojoe: Thank you! Fictional characters are practically what drive most of my motivation for anything, as sad as that is, and I get very attached to them! I'm glad you're liking the story! Thanks for reviewing :)**

**victoriagp2222: Thanks too! I have a passion for BBRae so that also helps the situation. Thank you for your support!**

**EvilGirl24: I am continuing it! Don't you worry! I hope you keep reading! Thanks for the review! :)**

**calisalex: Thanks for reviewing! I do try my best to smooth out my transitions. Sometimes it's a little difficult, and I have to get into the mood, but angst is practically my expertise lol**

**nyanya711477: I did not think that through, hah! I'm glad you mentioned it. The landlord let her in. I acknowledge it here during Kory's conversation to fix the plot hole. Thanks for the review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

"_There are no wrong turnings. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk."_

Guy Gavriel Kay

"Um, what are you doing here?" he asked sheepishly.

"I'm here with my friends," she replied, eyes practically digging a laser through him.

Garfield nodded nervously, "Me too. Heh."

Silence. What was he supposed to do? Perhaps apologize? But apologize for what? He truly believed it hadn't been his fault. Maybe if she apologized first. Or perhaps he could just walk past her, lock himself in the restroom, and just never come out. No, that would be a dumb decision.

"Gar," she snapped him out of his ridiculous ideas. "Now that we're here… I guess I should take a moment to apologize."

He raised both eyebrows, thoroughly shocked that _Raven_ out of all people would actually apologize. "Apologize?"

"I treated you unfairly. I was frustrated, and I wasn't sure what I was saying. But that doesn't excuse my behavior. I shouldn't have brought up your girlfriend. It was a low blow, and I did it out of impulse. Since I presume we won't see each other again after this, I just wanted to tell you that."

He nodded as she spoke, somewhat shocked yet touched by her apology. He smiled, "It's alright. I say things I shouldn't all the time."

They both awkwardly chuckled and another awkward pause followed it. "So we really won't see each other again?" he asked, unsure of what brought him to say it. _Way to go. Now you're certainly going to scare her away._

"I wouldn't be surprised if we do see each other…" she shrugged and crossed her arms. "That's way too many run-ins in barely a month."

"They are," he nodded, eyes tracing the sparkle in her own carefully, falling deeply into her enchantress-like charm. How did she manage to do this to him? "But I don't mind." He stepped closer, and she didn't do anything to stop him.

"I don't think I mind either," she admitted, her tone inciting something inside him in the span of a second.

They shouldn't have done it. He wasn't sure what drove him to do it. Vic had warned him. It was supposed to be a normal guy's night out. He wasn't supposed to run into her. But now that he had, he couldn't help but feel the same intense attraction he'd felt in that elevator, driven toward her like she was magnetic. And the worst part was that she didn't stop him, even though she knew she should have.

By the time they'd locked themselves in the girl's bathroom behind her, his belt was already on the ground, and their lips crashed furiously against each other, both giving into their desires. It wasn't supposed to happen. The thought was practically on repeat inside his head even as his eager hand slipped inside her pants.

Her moans were enough to encourage him, further driving them into their crazed lust. And even after he whispered, "We shouldn't be doing this," into her ear, they didn't stop, too far into their primal inclinations to think logically.

"We shouldn't," she managed in between her sighs.

He couldn't thank the woman who decided to knock on the door enough for snapping them out of their trance.

Raven's panic-stricken expression was enough to make him jerk back and hurriedly pull up his pants.

"Anybody in there?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Raven managed as she zipped up her own pants and fixed her shirt. "In a second."

"How do I get out?" Garfield whisper-yelled in a panic.

Raven breathed out, running both hands through her hair and pacing in front of him. "We'll just have to walk out like normal."

"Normal!? She'll know!"

"What other option do you have?"

Garfield sighed and nodded.

Raven proceeded to open the door with a face of shame, and they practically walked out with their tails between their legs. The old woman glared daggers at them, her face full of disgust, but fortunately, she didn't rat them out.

"That shouldn't have happened," Raven finally replied as they were out.

"No, it shouldn't have," he agreed.

"But it did."

"What do we do now?"

"Gar?" Vic's voice came from behind them, and his eyes were almost comically wide as he noticed Raven's presence. "Uh, hi, Raven." He locked eyes with Garfield, his expression loud and clear: what was the first thing I told you not to do?

"Victor," she acknowledged him. Then she looked in between them before declaring, "I have to go back to my friends."

When she left, Victor punched Garfield in the arm harshly. "What the hell, Gar? I thought I was clear with my conditions!"

"You were. Nothing happened. I swear!" he replied.

"Could you at least buckle your belt," he muttered so no one would hear them.

Garfield's eyes widened as he reached down and realized Victor was correct. He quickly did as told. "Look, dude, we ran into each other. I didn't even know she was here!"

"And then your belt mysteriously ended up unbuckled."

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Nothing happened because we were interrupted, and it snapped us out of it."

"You guys are acting like fucking hormonal teenagers! I thought you were on bad terms!?"

"She apologized," he peeped.

"And that's enough to make you get into her pants? And her to you!?"

Garfield stared at the ground like a scolded child. "I'm sorry."

"Dude, you don't have to apologize to me," he sighed. "I'm just trying to look out for you. Gar. I don't want you to fall into another bad episode."

"I know," Gar ran a frustrated hand through his locks. "I know you are. I won't let it happen. I promise."

"So if you run into her again, what are you going to do?"

"I won't have sex with her…"

Victor looked at him through narrowed eyes. "Okay. Let's go back before the guys wonder where we've gone. And for God's sake wash your hands or put on some hand sanitizer or something."

When they reached the table, Roy instantly apologized, "Sorry if I offended you, man. You know I have a big mouth."

"I said don't worry about it. I just…" he locked eyes with Victor. "I ran into someone."

"Speaking of running into people…" Wally murmured.

Gar furrowed his eyebrows and followed his line of sight until…

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in," Karen's unmistakable voice called out. Though there were a few girls by her, the only person Gar registered at that moment was Raven who's eyes were desperately trying to look everywhere but at him. "What brings you guys here?"

"Trying to cheer my boy Gar up after sleeping with some heartless bitch," Roy shrugged.

Victor almost choked on his drink while Gar inwardly cringed, so bad his face got red and he stared down at his plate.

Karen arched an eyebrow and glanced at Gar. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Aw, trouble in paradise? Who's the girl? I might know her, and I can make sure to warn everyone. I don't know how any girl could be so cold toward you, Gar. You're one of the few good ones." She sent a glare toward Roy.

"Hey!" Roy protested while Wally laughed.

"The glare is for you too, Wally."

"But I'm a gentleman!"

Gar looked up momentarily at Karen who was too busy arguing with the guys. He could see Raven from his peripheral vision shifting uncomfortably in her spot and looking away. His mouth opened several times, but he couldn't find the words to say.

"She's not important right now," Victor managed to deescalate the situation. "What matters is Gar needs a break from girls, so we're trying to help him feel better." He patted his back reassuringly.

"Aw," Karen glanced back at her friends. "You know what? I have a fantastic idea!"

"And that is…?" Victor raised an eyebrow.

"A party obviously! Kory, you and Dick have a humongous place. Do you think he'd mind if we all hang out there?"

"Um, I'm not sure," Kory murmured unconfidently. "Dick isn't the most social person, especially with people he doesn't know but…" she glanced at Gar and smiled a little. "I'll try to convince him."

"Perfect!" Karen squealed. "Drinks are on me, boys!"

"Um, Karen…" Victor tried to interrupt her, but she placed a finger over his lips to quiet him.

"Don't say anything more! Meet at Kory's house at nine tonight. I'll promise it'll cheer you up, Gar!"

Then she walked off like nothing, Raven, Kory, and another girl he didn't recognize (Karen was immensely popular everywhere she went) trailing behind.

"Welp, Bee is crazy," Wally took a sip of his drink.

"No kidding," Roy added.

Gar took a few fries and basically shoved the handful into his mouth.

"You good, Gar? I can call Karen and tell her to call the party off if you're uncomfortable with it… From the looks of it, Raven might be there," Victor whispered quietly enough for only Gar to hear as Roy and Wally were now busy flirting with the waitress who'd brought over another order of fries.

"No, I'm okay. If she's friends with Karen, it means we might see her more often too, so I have to get used to being around her."

Victor seemed hesitant, but despite having bad judgment at times, he trusted Gar not to commit the same mistake twice. "Okay."

* * *

"Karen, I don't think it's a good idea for me to stay for that party…" Raven tried to explain as Karen continued to do her hair. Currently, they were in Kory and Dick's room giving Raven a small makeover (all part of Karen's big plan to make Raven feel better).

"No excuses, Raven! I refuse to let you coop yourself up in your sad and lonely apartment for the weekend."

"But-"

"Nu-uh!" she exclaimed, pulling her hair and causing Raven to wince from the pain.

"If Raven doesn't want to stay, she doesn't have to Bee," Kory added while she moved on to her other hand to continue painting her nails. "She has just gotten over a broken heart and another-"

Raven cleared her throat, and Kory quickly quieted down.

Karen froze and narrowed her eyes, looking in between them. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Kory feigned ignorance.

"Don't act dumb Kory. That thing you two just did!"

Kory bit her lip, looked down at Raven's hand and avoided Karen's stare.

"Look, Karen, what Kory means to say is that besides Wally, we both barely know your friends. It would be rather uncomfortable to invite them over here, don't you think?"

Kory seemed like she wanted to protest, but she let Raven take care of the situation.

Karen continued braiding the side of Raven's scalp, "They're some of my closest friends, Raven. I promise they're no trouble. Gar, especially, is one of the sweetest guys I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I also think it would do you good to meet more people. So if I'm introducing you to them, it's for a good reason. I think you guys could get along really well." She stopped and let out a sigh. "I'm just trying to help you. I was the one who introduced you to… you know who, and I feel somewhat guilty after everything that happened. But if you really don't want to stay, I won't force you too."

Raven bit her lip, now somewhat hesitant about leaving. She knew Karen had good intentions. However, neither Kory nor Karen had any idea about her background with Gar. Sure, Kory knew she'd slept with a guy, but she didn't know him by face or name. Karen didn't even know she'd had a one-night-stand at all. For all she knew, Raven was still getting over Malchior.

She contemplated it for a moment. She doubted Gar wanted to make the situation any more awkward considering he didn't even call her out at the restaurant. Perhaps they could start over again, and they could put everything behind them. She had a feeling they'd see each other more often now that she knew Karen was good friends with him. So if nobody knew about their past besides them, what was the harm?

"Fine. I'll stay," Raven sighed. "But if I feel uncomfortable, I'm going to leave."

"Guess what I've got!" Jade burst into the room with a few bags in hand and a smile as wide as Chesire cat's.

"What is it?" Kory was in the process of finishing Raven's hand and putting it under the fan to dry.

"We're going to drink good tonight, ladies!" she placed the bags on the ground and took out an impressive amount of bottles of alcohol of all brands (most expensive) to show off.

"Woo!" Karen cheered. "This is going to be a great party!"

Jade laid back on Kory's bed and watched as they continued to work on Raven through the mirror. "This takes me back to our good ol' college days," she chuckled. "I feel like a teenage girl again."

"Girl, calm down, it's been two years since we graduated," Karen rolled her eyes. "You act as if it was decades ago. We're not old at all."

Kory giggled. "It's been a wonderful two years!"

"You're just saying that because you met the love of your life and got engaged." Jade rolled her eyes.

"We're not all as lucky as you, Kory," Karen added, though with a playful tone. "Speaking of Dick, did you tell him he was having guests today?"

Kory froze, eyes suddenly wide. "Oops… It completely slipped my mind!"

"Well, you better do that right now. You know how Dick is about-"

Coincidentally, the door opened and Dick strolled right in while fixing his tie. He seemed a little confused once he realized what was going on. "Um… What did I just walk into?"

"Speak of the devil," Karen laughed. "Hey, Dick! How was work?"

"Uh… It was okay?"

"Dick, I need to, um, talk to you." Kory walked to the door and opened it to signal him through.

Dick, still looking extremely confused, followed her out.

"Well, you're all done!" Karen grinned.

Raven examined her hair in the mirror. Surprisingly, it looked good on her. She smiled at Karen, "Thank you, I really like it."

"Only the best for one of my best friends," she replied and sat back on the bed. "Wow, I really do feel like a teenage girl."

"I'm going to head to the restroom. I'll be right back," Raven announced, not that it mattered considering the two girls were already blabbing about old memories and all.

Once Raven exited the room, she headed toward the restroom which was past the living room. Unfortunately, it was where Dick and Kory were now engaged in a full-blown argument.

"It's Bee, Kory! Why couldn't you have just refused and told her to find some other place!"

"I felt bad for her friend. I just thought it wouldn't be that big of a bother to you." Kory looked like a scolded puppy.

Dick sighed, pacing in front of her like he usually did when he was contemplating something. "Kory you have such a huge heart, but it doesn't mean you have to be the one to help everyone, you know?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I can go tell her to cancel it right now. I just thought… I thought it'd also help Raven."

Dick stopped and seemingly calmed down. "No, it's fine. It's already set up… But next time, please just give me a heads up?"

Kory's beam lit up the whole room, and she looked like she almost asphyxiated Dick with her tackle-hug. That's when he noticed Raven at the edge of the hallway door.

"Raven," he acknowledged as Kory pulled away.

"Dick said yes!" she announced. "I'm going to go tell the girls!" Then she ran off.

Raven chuckled and shook her head. "Kory always has a way with words with you, Dick."

"You have no idea." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly with an awkward laugh.

Before Raven could say anything else, the doorbell interrupted her. Dick walked over to the front door, and Raven followed behind, realizing it was about to be nine. When Dick opened the door, she almost felt her heart stop when the realization hit her.

"Um, Wally is back there with my friends trying to carry something in. He told me to knock," Gar told him. Then his eyes grew extremely wide as they caught sight of Raven behind him.

Dick furrowed his eyebrows and looked in between them, "Say… Aren't you Raven's new boyfriend?"

"NO!" both Raven and Gar exclaimed at the same time.

"Boyfriend?" she heard Kory ask from behind them. Both Raven and Gar had the expression of a deer in the headlights as they stared at the couple. Kory crossed her arms, eyebrows furrowed and clearly awaiting an explanation.

Yep, this was going to be a fun night.

* * *

**Date: Friday, December 13, 2019**

**A/N: So my first semester of college was so hectic, I didn't write a single word throughout. I'm sorry guys. The good thing is I'm on Winter Break so hopefully, I'll get some updates in! Thank you for being so patient, and I hope you enjoyed! Also, reviews really encourage me and make me happy, so if you could spare some time in giving your thoughts, critiques, or anything, I would appreciate it with all my heart!**

**victoriagp2222: Thank you so much! I'm hoping to one day have as many views for my original stories as my fanfictions, even though it's definitely a bigger challenge.**

**Sanzojoe: Haha, it's starting to get old but there might be one or two more sprinkled in there! Mostly though, from here on out, it will probably just be them setting them up ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

"_He never knew a single second could be expanded into something timeless and so archaic. It shook him to his core – there were no words for it."_

_Dianna Hardy, The Sands Of Time_

Silence.

An awkward silence filled the room, the sheer weight of it making Garfield feel like he was about to collapse right then and there. But that would only have been more awkward. Garfield had never been one to enjoy silence. As a child, his ADD constantly had him moving, jumping, talking, anything but standing awkwardly in a silent room with three people he barely knew (even though he knew Raven's other, _ahem_, assets very well).

"So… Um, I'm just going to..." He pointed his thumb backward and started to step away.

"Not so fast!" Raven exclaimed, her intimidating, stern tone making him stand up straight and wide-eyed like she was an army general or something. "Kory," she simply stated, and Garlied glanced at the red-haired beauty who'd been the queen of the engagement party some time prior. "This is Garfield."

"Gar," he muttered, but Raven didn't bother to listen.

"He was the guy I mentioned earlier," she explained, keeping her tone cool and collected. Then she turned to Richard, her glare nearly burning a laser through him. "We are not dating."

"Oh!" Kory chuckled. "Silly me! Of course, this is Gar! Karen said your name back at the restaurant!" She enthusiastically offered a hand, and he followed her lead, almost getting his hand ripped out by the girl's surprisingly strong grip.

"Eh-heh." Garfield sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, that's me."

"Wait…" Kory furrowed her eyebrows. "Does that mean that when the guy said they were trying to cheer you up after sleeping with a heartless bitch he was referring to-" She quickly shut her mouth after noticing Raven's look of horror and Garfield's tomato face.

"Oh." Kory smiled, somewhat awkwardly and somewhat amused.

"Alright, TMI…" Richard whispered under his breath. "I guess since I'm a host…" he turned to his fiancee still looking puzzled. "You know what. I'm tired. Just, please don't make a mess of the house Kory," he said before walking off.

"Please excuse Dick. He didn't realize we were having a get-together," Kory told Garfield.

He nodded. "Um, we can still cancel it, you know. I really didn't mean for this to get out of hand, and I feel kind of bad considering it was kind of my fault."

"Oh please no! If anything that was all Bee! You know how crazy she is," Korry laughed.

"So where are the others?" Raven asked Garfield, her tone rather ambivalent.

"Oh, they're-" he turned around and was promptly interrupted by the guys who were carrying in a cooler.

"Damn, your front yard is huge!" Vic yelled out as him and Roy lowered the cooler and took a moment to recover their breath. Meanwhile, Wally nonchalantly waltzed in behind them while swinging the car keys with his pinky.

"Where's the party at? I don't hear any music," Wally proceeded to express.

"The party's just getting started!" Karen let out from the top of the stairs as she walked down with Jade by her side.

"Woo!" Roy and Wally joined her in her cheers.

"Friends! Let's bring in the cooler to the kitchen and all meet in the living room!" Kory announced.

"Aw hell nah, I'm not carrying that thing again!" Vic yelled out.

"Suck it up, Stone." Karen rolled her eyes and took one glimpse at the cooler before promptly pulling out the handle behind it. Victor's jaw nearly fell off his skull. "Idiots," she let out before following Kory to the kitchen.

"How were we supposed to know that was there!" Victor exclaimed as he walked after her along with the rest, all but Raven and Garfield.

"So this is the deal." Raven was straight-forward. "Kory and Dick already know from my side. Now I'm guessing the red-head with Dick's off-brand shades doesn't know, but I'm willing to bet someone does."

Garfield bit his lip before nodding and replying, "Victor is the only one who knows because he met you the first day we met."

"Good. We're going to keep it that way, got it? Nobody. And I mean nobody is going to know besides the people who already do."

"I agree."

"Perfect. Now pretend you don't know me," she attempted to walk back and to their surprise (because he also didn't expect the words that escaped his mouth next), Garfield held on to her wrist and whispered, "That's going to be a little hard considering this house reminds me of the first time you jumped me in that bar over there."

He swore he felt the faintest of shivers from her before she smacked his hand and muttered, "Keep it in your pants," and proceeded to walk off.

* * *

"Woooooo!" Karen let out as her ping pong ball made it into the cup and she high-fived Kory.

"Man!" Wally smacked the table with both hands before downing the cup's content. "You're not going to get away with _*hiccup*_ this for very long," he said through his slurred speech.

"There, there, buddy," Victor patted him on the back gently. "Maybe you should take a break."

"No way! The fun's just getting started!" Karen laughed and got ready to throw another one.

"It's MY turn!" Wally pouted like a little kid.

Kory rolled her eyes and chuckled. She glimpsed around the room, past Jade and Roy getting it on in the corner, past Garfield slouched on the couch swiping through his phone, until her eyes landed on Raven sitting on the bar watching all the commotion with a blank expression.

She rolled her eyes and approached the pale girl. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Why the question?" she sent her best friend a look.

Kory glanced at Garfield for a split second before opening her mouth but not saying anything.

"You think I'm upset because the guy I slept with and completely rejected afterward by bringing up his dead girlfriend is here."

"Maybe?"

Raven sighed and crossed her arms. "I'm okay, Kory. Just a bit tired, that's all. I'm an adult. I have bigger things to worry about than a stupid one night stand."

"Well, I actually think you're deflecting your feelings. Maybe you don't want to admit you might feel a little more than you'd like toward him?"

"As if." She rolled her eyes. "He's just a guy I slept with. Nothing more."

"Right." Kory nodded along. "Nothing more."

"What does that mean?" she frowned.

"I just haven't seen you glance and contain your smile at someone since, well, you know…" Kory refused to say his name. But Raven knew. Oddly enough, she didn't feel as emotional as she did about him before. It was as if… she was starting to get over him? For the first time in months, her view felt clearer than ever. But why?

"I don't like him."

"I didn't say you did, but now that you mention it," Kory chuckled. "Karen wasn't lying about Gar being one of the good ones. Maybe you should give him a chance?"

"Stop."

"Stop?"

"Stop trying to back me into a corner on this. Gar and I will never end up together because we're not compatible. Clear?" she narrowed her eyes.

Kory let out a breath and dropped the subject, knowing she was full-well not in a mood to take advice. That was the thing about Raven. She was everything Kory wasn't personality-wise. She was calm and collected while Kory was wild and spontaneous. She saw things objectively while Kory constantly followed her heart. Her heart had, for the most part, constantly been closed off to love while Kory refused to live a life where she couldn't spread love to her partner and close friends. Though Kory admitted to sometimes feeling a little jealous of the girl's ability to focus when it was time to focus, she was certainly not jealous of her stubborn attitude when it came to seeing the good in people. But she understood. Raven's hard experiences as a young girl had shaped her into the woman she was today, and all Kory could really do was offer a bit of her love and optimism, even though the girl sometimes utterly rejected her. After all, they were still best friends.

"GaAAAarrr!" Wally screeched from the table, nearly losing his balance as he tried to approach the dirty blonde.

"What?" Gar asked.

"Come play!"

Victor tried to pull Wally back but seemingly failed to considering he was now in the process of holding up Karen too.

"Not right now, pal. We've got enough drunks around."

"Aw, come on, dude! Stop moping about your bitchy one-night stand and have some fun!" Wally tried pulling him up.

"I said not now."

"Wally's right, Gar! Just forget about that whore!" Karen joined Wally in cheering him up.

Kory cringed at the references to Raven and noticed the girl's growing uncomfortableness with the situation.

"Guys, come on, just stop," Gar tried to discourage them.

"Are you trying to defend that bitch? She broke your heart dude! Hope she finds an asshole just like her to date!" Wally exclaimed.

"Yeah! Let me at her, Gar! I can make her life a living hell!" Karen added.

"Stop!" Gar yelled again.

"Stop talking about Raven like that!" Kory suddenly burst, taking everyone by surprise.

For a moment, nobody spoke, and Kory was too shocked to say anything else. Raven wasn't even sure how to intervene, completely mortified by her friend's confession. The jig was up.

"Raven?" Wally furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you saying Raven's the bitch?"

Kory was red-faced. "I mean, uh, no, I didn't-"

"You slept with Raven?" Karen loudly asked.

Raven was about to defend herself when Garfield spoke up. "Of course not," he said rather calmly, as calmly as Raven had ever heard him speak considering he turned into a nervous wreck often. It seemed like she was the nervous wreck this time. "She means that the girl _looked_ like Raven, but she _wasn't_ Raven. I didn't even know Raven before you introduced us, Karen. I actually don't even know the girl's name."

"Oh, well, why didn't you say! Don't worry, Gar! We'll look her up right now! Don't you worry!" Karen walked to her phone and started searching through Instagram to show him pictures of girls.

Gar made brief eye contact with Raven before pretending to pay attention to Bee. Meanwhile, Victor escorted Wally out to the bathroom where he would most likely spill half of the food he'd eaten that night.

"I'm so sorry, Raven!" Kory whisper-yelled.

"It's fine," she replied before holding a finger at the bridge of her nose where a headache was starting to emerge. "I'm leaving, Kory. I'm really tired."

"At least let Dick drive you."

Raven thought about it for a second before reluctantly agreeing. After saying good-bye to most of the guests (besides Jade and Roy who she had no idea where they'd gone), Dick drove her home. The ride was mostly quiet, though he really did try to talk to her at times, but she was simply not in the mood.

"You going to be alright?" he asked when she exited the car in front of her apartment complex.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Thanks, Dick."

"No problem. Call me if you need anything."

And once in her apartment, she didn't even have the energy to change into her sleepwear before she collapsed on her bed.

* * *

The gentle breeze and the soft smell of the flower vases around were soothing enough to let Raven close her eyes and lose herself in the serene setting. Some people might have found it creepy to hang out in a cemetery when she wasn't visiting a gravestone, but the walk always helped Raven clear her mind during stressful weeks. It had been two days since the party, and so far, she hadn't interacted with anyone (besides sending one text to Kory saying she was fine after the girl frantically left a voicemail asking her to prove she was alive otherwise she would send SWAT to her apartment). And Raven certainly believed the girl to be capable of such promises considering she accomplished anything she put her mind to.

Raven always made sure to strategically choose her times for visiting the graveyard. Early mornings when the sun was barely rising were the best moments because nearly no one visited their deceased loved ones so early.

But this time was different.

His back was to her, and even about a dozen yards away, she recognized him. He was simply that kind of unforgettable person with details so faint other people might not have caught but that she always noted. For example, the cross-shaped scar below his hair, the one she'd noticed the day she'd woken up on his bed. The day she still regretted to admit had happened. Mostly, anyway.

She approached as quietly as she could since she had noticed from the beginning the guy had good senses. As if he could hear her miles away.

Luckily, he seemed to be too preoccupied talking to whoever was on the other side to notice her. Despite it being completely rude and an invasion of privacy, she couldn't help but listen in on his conversation.

"I think things are getting a little better. It didn't feel so awkward being with her at the party and we even had a normal conversation," he let out a hearty chuckle that released the butterflies inside her stomach. "I think…" he paused for a moment, and she thought he'd heard her, but he didn't do anything to acknowledge her presence. "I really think we can become good friends. I did want something before… I mean, I thought she was perfect, especially after Tara, but… But I'd be satisfied to be friends if it meant having her in my life. She makes me happy. Every time I think about her."

Raven felt her heart speed up, and she suddenly felt like a flustered child who had overheard something she wasn't supposed to know. She attempted to back away, but as fate would have it (it seemed like she'd started overusing that expression the moment Garfield showed up in her life), she stepped on a branch and promptly made a cracking sound, alerting Garfield on his intrusion of privacy.

He turned as swift as a fox, his expression stern before his eyes softened the moment they landed on her.

That stare.

She'd witnessed that stare before. But where?

She didn't have time to contemplate it considering he interrupted her thoughts when he asked, "Raven? What are you doing here?"

"I'm just taking a walk," she admitted, holding her hands together like a scolded child.

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Not much," she lied.

And he knew it. It was so obvious, but he chose not to mention it.

He smiled at her and moved out of the way to show her the name engraved on the tombstone. _Rita Farr, Loving Mother and Wife._

"She was my adoptive mother."

"Oh." She wasn't sure what to say as she took a few steps forward to stand next to him. "What was she like?"

"Fun, caring, sometimes a little crazy," he laughed, his gaze somewhere else, probably reliving some of his best moments. "And she was the most loving person I knew. Wore her heart on her sleeve. Brightened every person's day. She was amazing. Didn't deserve what became of her."

Raven wasn't sure if she should ask, but she was very curious, and she hoped it didn't come off as rude. "May I ask what happened?"

"She died during a bad explosion at the laboratory she worked in… along with her co-workers who were like family to me."

"That's awful," she replied.

Garf nodded as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Her husband, my step-dad, he couldn't process what had happened. He ended up in an asylum. Doesn't even recognize me anymore. He still believes Rita is alive and that they just got married. He waits for her every day, saying she'll come back from the grocery store eventually to cook him some of her famous alfredo pasta."

"Do you visit him?"

"Not anymore. He just sees me as a stranger, sadly. Steve and I were never really close either way, but I still feel for him. Sometimes I feel like I betrayed him by leaving."

"I'm sure your mother would understand. You said she was all-loving. She would love you no matter what."

"Yeah," he smiled again before glancing at her. "She would."

They stood in silence for a second, just looking at each other.

"What is your mom like?"

"She was nothing compared to your mother."

"Oh, is she gone?" he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Not in the way you're thinking of." She shook her head. "She left me with my abusive father when I was very young. Had to deal with that all on my own. I got through it though, managed to get away from that asshole. But she was never a good mother to me. I don't think she even wanted me. I don't even think I ever called her mom, just Arella."

"Arella," he pronounced the name gently. "That's a beautiful name."

Raven shrugged. "I guess it is."

"But that's awful. I'm glad you're doing better. Did you ever look for her?"

"Never. I didn't see a reason to. She clearly doesn't want to see me."

"How do you know?"

Raven shrugged and looked up at the sky. "I just do."

There was another moment of silence, but unlike other times, Gar actually enjoyed this one. He'd never sought company to visit his mother's gravestone, even when Vic had offered. Today, however, today felt like a nice day to have some company.

* * *

**Date: Friday, January 31, 2020**

**A/N: Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed! I want to take this moment to announce that I've published a book! It's a book full of short stories based on mental illness. It's very personal and important to me because it deals with very heavy topics I believe should be talked about more. It's much more different than the stories I post here (which are for fun). This is actually a serious collection of short stories meant to spread awareness and give an insight into this. There are very heavy topics, so in case you guys are sensitive, it might be best not to get it. Please, if you're even the least bit interest, I will leave the link in my profile! You don't have to buy it, but it would mean the world to me if you could share it, and even more if you would read it. There is a preview with the first story on it. Also, it is addressed with my real name if you guys are curious, which I don't mind much. Thanks y'all!**

**Also, I appreciate the reviews a lot! They always make me happy :)**

**Val: Thank you! I'm glad you like it!**

**Hi: I'm glad it's got you hooked! That's what I always hope for in my writing!**

**Me: Your wish. My command.**

**Victoria: Haha! Yeah, very awkward, but I thought it was pretty funny! Kory found out, not sure when the rest of the squad will though. Thanks for the read! (lol, maybe a little? If you've been losing memory on other stuff, it might be smart to get a check-up and mention it)**

**Sanzojoe: Hoping it lived up to your expectations! Thanks for the review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

_"Millions and millions of years would still not give me half enough time to describe that tiny instant of all eternity when you put your arms around me and I put my arms around you."_

_Jacques Prevert_

"Today's her anniversary."

She was quiet for a moment, letting the thought sink in. "How long ago?"

"Five years. Five years without someone you love… It's a long time," he sighed, looking at his mother's gravestone thoughtfully.

"I wish I knew what that felt like."

Garfield turned to Raven in confusion, noting her gentle visage watching the sky and arms clinging to her knees. "What do you mean?"

Raven shrugged. "The only person I've ever loved was a maniac. My father could be in hell for all I care. My mother didn't even bother to care for her only daughter. I wish I at least had someone to mourn."

He scooted closer to her, and with some hesitation, he gently placed an arm around her shoulder. She flinched, and for a second, he thought he would pull back, scared she'd retreat into her mind like she usually did. But to his surprise, she leaned her weight onto him and her head fell softly upon his shoulder. Two ill-fitting puzzle pieces finding comfort in each other.

It'd been a month since the first time they'd met there, and every week since then, they showed up without agreement as if they knew this was _their_ spot.

"It's okay. You'll find someone to love one day," he whispered in her ear, sending pleasant chills crawling throughout her skin.

"I hope you do too," she muttered.

_I think I already did_, he desperately wanted to tell her. But only time would tell.

"We should go. It looks like it's about to storm," Raven told him, and that's when he realized they'd been in each other's arms staring at his mother's gravestone for nearly twenty minutes.

"Okay."

The walk to his car was quiet, and when they got in, they sat there for a moment, the sound of raindrops falling on the car hood setting a sort of peace they'd both been aching for. A peace they could enjoy together.

"What are you going to do today?" Garfield asked.

"I'm probably staying in. It feels like a good day to do that."

"Do you want to come to my place?"

Raven glanced at him with a blank stare. He didn't look at her, instead played around with the ring of his car keys. "I don't know if I should, Gar. You know what happened last time. I… I don't want to hurt you."

"You're not going to hurt me, Rae." They locked eyes, and he placed a hand over hers. "And nothing's going to happen this time. I promise. Today's… not the day. I just don't want to be alone."

"Okay," she smiled gently at him, inciting a bubbly feeling inside his stomach.

And they spent the night together, holding each other, watching movies and laughing. No sex. No kissing. No making out. Just them both, enjoying each other's companies.

And for the first time, Garfield genuinely felt a sense of warmth and happiness… kind of like… like he had back when Tara had been around.

* * *

"You two have been spending an odd amount of time together," Victor pointed out one random morning as he prepared breakfast. Every once in awhile he slept over to make sure the green bean was doing okay, though recently he'd been doing it less often because his relationship with his girlfriend, Sara, appeared to be getting more serious by the day.

"Huh?" Garfield looked up from his phone. He had been distractedly shooting Raven a text about going over to her place tonight to hang out.

"Raven and you. You've been spending a lot of time together. Is there something going on?"

"No," he told him the truth. "Not at all."

Victor froze with the blender in hand and raised a curious eyebrow. "I'm confused. First, you act all flirty with her. Then you sleep with her. Then she rejects you and you act all sad about it. Then you almost have sex in public. And now I find out you guys are being all cozy in here? What's going on? I'm worried about you, man."

"You don't have to be worried, dude. I'm fine. Raven and I are friends now. I think… Well, let's just say we bonded."

Victor arched an eyebrow.

"Not like that!" he rolled his eyes. "We reached a sort of mutual understanding I guess, and we promised we wouldn't go back to… whatever that was. We spend more time together because we're comfortable with each other. That's all."

Victor nodded as he spoke, noting the brighter tone he hadn't heard in quite a while coming from Gar, especially over a girl. He put the blender down, placed both palms on the counter, and looked at him seriously. "Tell me something, Gar. Do you like her the way you did Tara?"

Garfield took a moment to contemplate it. Tara and him had had a special connection he hadn't shared with any other person. Their relationship had been one of a kind, even with the problems it brought. Yet they had never reached common grounds with each other. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized it had been a form of puppy love in a way. He made her happy, sure, but not in the way that meant forever. With Raven, things felt different. It was a strong feeling that enveloped him whole and made him feel like he was floating when she was around him. His fingertips felt tingly with every touch, and a warm sensation traveled across his skin every time she let out a genuine laugh.

"No," he confessed.

In a way, Victor appeared a little relieved, like he'd known the true toxicity of his relationship with Tara all those years but had never interfered for fear of hurting him. He continued putting the ingredients for his shake in the blender.

"I think I love her, man."

Needless to say, the confession had made Victor prematurely press the button and the blender had spilled all its contents around the room.

* * *

"Friend Raven?"

"Yes, Kory?" Raven asked as she continued typing up some notes for Dick's next important meeting. She took a moment to stretch her fingers and take a drink from her water bottle as she assumed Kory was about to ask for an opinion on a detail for her wedding in the upcoming month.

After a few weeks of alone time (if she didn't include Gar), Raven had decided it was about time to start hanging out with Kory more. She felt for the girl. She had been going through planning her wedding all alone (Dick didn't offer that many opinions despite Kory's insistence) because Raven had decided to be a bitch. But she had finally decided she was going to make an effort to spend more time with Kory and help her with her arrangements, no matter how much energy it took from her.

Thus, it was a Saturday evening and Raven was finishing up some work while Kory sat on the couch scrolling through Pinterest for some more arrangement ideas.

"You and Gar have been spending some time together, have you not?"

Raven nearly spit the water in her mouth all over the screen of her laptop. She managed to swallow before asking, "How did you find out?" She hadn't exactly been sharing with the girl.

"I noticed a jacket that was not yours in your room earlier and considering you have not mentioned anybody else, I had a suspicion it might be him, but I didn't confirm it until now."

That sneaky little- "Yes, Kory. We have been hanging out, recently."

"Oh, glorious!" she hopped up on the couch to face her body toward her, almost letting her phone drop to the wooden floor in the process and making Raven cringe. The girl had already broken three phones in the course of two months, and she doubted Dick would be happy to get her another. "Tell me, are you finally going out?"

"No. I can assure you it's strictly platonic."

Kory appeared to deflate at the news. "Oh. I had hoped you both had finally realized you were meant for each other."

"I told you I don't like Gar like that."

"But, you made love with him, did you not? And now you are letting him visit your apartment. You never let anyone visit your apartment."

Raven cringed at her wording and placed two fingers at the bridge of her nose, trying to calm her riled emotions. "We did not make love. We slept together. There's a big difference."

"Oh."

"And we're only hanging out because… well," Raven couldn't find the words to describe their relationship. She hadn't really taken time to think about what exactly Gar and her were doing. It certainly wasn't anything romantic, not that she knew of. Sure, sometimes they sat on his bed together and while she opened up a book to read, he would play his silly video games. And every once in a while he liked to embrace her from behind while she was brewing her tea in her kitchen (she mostly always asked for personal space but sometimes she would entertain him). Granted, some of the things they did were things people in relationships did often, but they had not established anything of the sort. They hadn't even shared a kiss or had sex since the restaurant. It's not as if they were in the 'meeting the parents' stage or anything of the sort (not that either had any parents to meet).

She sighed. "We're friends. That's all."

But some part of her didn't seem very convinced of that.

* * *

"You want me to do what?"

"Come with me to visit Steve."

"I don't know, Gar," she confessed. They were currently lying on his bed watching a documentary about whales on the discovery channel. His head was on her lap, and she had been playfully toying with his hair (to which he responded to like a cat: nearly purring and moving his head closer).

Raven could only ask, "Why?"

"I haven't visited him in a long time, like I told you. And I really want to, but I don't want to go alone."

Raven really didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she wasn't sure it was the best idea. "What about Vic?"

"He's been really busy with work and Sara. Plus, I feel like I'm more comfortable with you with me." He looked up at her with those green puppy eyes that nearly always had some sort of effect on her.

"I don't know, Gar. Is it really a good idea for me to go with you? He doesn't know me, and it could set him off or something. I don't want to cause a scene or make him freak out or something." It was a weak excuse, but she really didn't want to go. Mostly because if she did, it was a form of taking their relationship a step further, and she wasn't sure she was ready for that. She wasn't even sure she wanted that.

"Please, Rae? I promise it'll be okay. He barely recognizes me anyway. I just… want to see him." He let out a deep breath and looked away, appearing a little sad.

Of course that was his way of convincing her.

Raven hesitated, thinking about it for a long moment. So long she hadn't even realized the documentary was already rolling its credits.

"It's okay, Rae. I won't force you to. If you're not comfortable, I can go by myself," he told her, his tone low. He smiled at her anyway, and she knew he was being honest about it.

He wasn't trying to manipulate her like… like _he_ had done. She hadn't thought about _him_ for a while, and she wasn't intending to go down that pit of despair, so she opted for closing her eyes and letting out the word she hadn't been expecting to say.

"Okay."

Garfield appeared shocked, especially considering he had just told her it was okay if she didn't want to go. But he wasted no time contemplating it and instead rewarded her with a huge grin and pulled her in for an embrace.

Raven admitted her body was a little tense at first, but she managed to relax. Had he done it a month prior, she would've probably pushed him away and slapped him for invading her personal space so suddenly for that matter. But she had to admit she had grown a little fond of his touch. Perhaps physical affection was something that was missing in her life because it made her feel warm all over and her face turn red. But it was a nice feeling.

A nice feeling she hadn't felt in a while.

A nice feeling she wasn't sure she wanted to feel right now.

A nice feeling she distinctly remembered from her time with… _him_.

Had Garfield pulled away from her at that second, he would've noticed her expression of horror. But he didn't pull away. He instead rested his chin on her shoulder, feeling his whole body against her for just a little longer.

That's when Raven realized she was in trouble.

* * *

**A/N: I spent nearly six hours re-reading _Les Miserables_ by mad-dog13. Man, if you guys haven't read that, you're missing out. A beautiful writing masterpiece I can only aspire to reach. You should check it out! Anyway, hope you enjoyed. We're getting a little closer to the end and some drama as you know my stories contain.**

**starpana - Thank you! I love fluffiness! It's like a calm before the storm you just gotta enjoy while you can!**

**Sanzojoe - Haha, Kory is just being Kory as usual. She's too pure-hearted. I love her! You're right about that! Odd place, but I think it's fitting.**

**Deal With Itt - This is an AU so it'd be odd if he was green in a normal world lol. Thank you so much! I'm so happy you're enjoying it!**

**victoriagp2222 - Kory is very spontaneous at times! She surprises even me, who's writing her, haha! Thank you! That means a lot 3**

**Guest - Your wish is my command! (If you guys haven't noticed, when I spend a while not updated, I tend to update when I get a review asking me to update because I feel guilty lol, I'm sorry y'all, I'll start writing outlines to make it a bit easier for me to write my fanfiction)**


	10. Chapter 10

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

"_It's hard when you miss people. But you know if you miss them, that means you're lucky. It means you had someone special in your life, someone worth missing."_

Nikki Schiefelbein

"Hi, Steve," Garfield took a seat in the chair next to the man who was comfortably staring out the window with a blanket on his lap. He wasn't sure if he heard him considering the man didn't reply or chose to ignore him. "I brought someone I'd like you to meet." Garfield turned toward Raven who was standing at the door frame looking unsure of whether she should come in.

Steve instantly turned and asked, "Rita?" When he realized the girl looked nothing like Rita, he appeared disappointed and turned back to the window, deep in thought like he was stuck in his own little world.

"This is Raven." He signaled for her to walk over which she did and handed her the seat. Raven plopped down in front of the man uncomfortably.

Steve ignored them, normal for patients such as him who had completely forgotten a major part of their life due to traumatic circumstances.

"She's…" Garfield appeared to hesitate on how to introduce her, and he was admittedly embarrassed at the puzzled look Raven sent him. "A good friend of mine. And I care about her a lot."

Garfield reached over to place his hand on his adoptive father's shoulder, but Steve flinched at the action and suddenly turned his head in fear as if he hadn't seen them next to him. Garfield instantly pulled his hand back so as to not freak him out. "It's okay. It's me, Gar. Your son," his voice cracked at the last part, and he could see Raven staring at him from the corner of his eye.

Steve stared at him deeply, his eyes wide, and for a moment, Garfield thought he would recognize him. The tinge of hope that had always been there, settling in the back of his head every time he thought about his parents, seemed to grow and grow until it enveloped him whole, and he smiled.

But as quickly as Steve had turned he looked away, not saying a word. He didn't remember. He never did.

Garfield felt like a rope was tugging at his heart, wrapping around it and suffocating it like a noose. A heavy sensation weighed at the back of his throat, and he couldn't speak. Raven stood up next to him and pressed her hand on his shoulder. When he turned to look at her, she was watching him with a comforting gaze and a small smile as if to reassure him she was there. He wasn't alone. Not anymore.

"Rita…" the slightest of whispers came out of Steve, and Garfield turned in an instant. He kneeled down next to him and took his hand. This time, Steven didn't seem to even acknowledge the touch.

"Yes, Rita. She loved you so much, Steve. So much," he told him.

"Rita… Rita… Rita! RITA!" Steve pulled his hand from Garfield's hold and began to slam his palms against the window and bump his head against the glass.

"Steve!" Garfield jerked back in fear just as the nurse ran inside to calm him down.

She started muttering a few soothing words while grabbing both his wrists and pulling him away from the window. She sent Garfield a sympathetic glance before motioning them toward the door as if to say Steve wasn't in the best condition at the moment.

But he never was. Garfield knew that. He listened to the nurse and walked out to the main lobby with Raven by his side. The feeling of tears at the brim of falling was gone, replaced by an irrevocable emptiness inside him, a sort of weightlessness that made him feel like that's what it was like to die.

Admittedly, Garfield had thought about death a lot. All of his life, he had been surrounded by it, stuff a kid should've never experienced at such a young age. His parents had been the first, followed by Tara, and just as he had started to mourn her, it had been Rita and his makeshift family. And Steve… Steve, well, Garfield might have as well have been dead to him or have never existed. And he had thought about it for himself. For all the punishment he had endured, there had to be a reason for it, no? He had lost count of how many people had told him everything happened for a reason. It was a bullshit excuse. They were essentially telling his younger self that he had lost his parents for a reason. If that was the case, he might've as well have killed himself a long time ago. Everything happened for a reason, after all.

"Do you want to stop for ice cream?" Raven asked when they got to the exit.

Garfield didn't have the heart to speak, so he settled for a nod.

"I'll drive," she told him as she took the keys from his hand, and he didn't bother to fight her on it.

The drive to the ice cream shop was silent, and even when they arrived, they ate their cones in silence before getting back in the car. However, Raven didn't turn on the engine right away. Instead, they settled for sitting there just as the grey sky let a few of its tears fall to earth. The pitter patter on the car's roof was calming, though depressing.

"What are some of your favorite memories about them?" Raven suddenly asked.

Gar looked over, but she wasn't looking at him. She was staring at the blank wall of the side of the building in front of their parking spot. He settled for staring at it too.

"There was this one time Steve was getting ready for this unexpected important visit from some big wig funding their science department. Rita was trying to dye my hair back to its natural color because I had just dyed the tips green that week, and Steve thought it was unprofessional.

I had an appointment the day after to get it fixed professionally but since Steve's guest had set up the meeting so suddenly, I was going to have to sit at the table like that. Steve was furious, so he had told Rita to do something to fix it as quickly as she could. Rita had driven to the dollar store a few blocks away and gotten a cheap blond hair dye. Well it turns out you should bleach bright neon hair before you decide to dye it back because it won't work," Garfield took a moment to chuckle at that.

"She freaked out when my whole head of hair turned a lighter shade of green that was way more noticeable than before. Not wanting to show Steve, she improvised and handed me one of Steve fedora's that fit way too big on me and almost covered my eyes. I spent all dinner struggling to adjust the hat because I couldn't see in front of me, and the man's daughter gave me a few weird looks all night. Steve wasn't a bit pleased but it was better than sitting there with green hair. When the man and his family left, he lectured me on the importance of appearance and all that stuff, so imagine his shock when I dyed my hair cotton candy pink with temporary dye the following Halloween for a dare," at this he burst out laughing and slapped his knee a few times. "I almost gave him and Rita a heart attack since they're very traditional blue is a boy's color and pink is a girl's color."

"You sound like you were a troublesome kid," Raven pointed out with a slight smirk.

"I really was. I think I might've almost really killed Steve with some of the stunts I pulled in my teen years." He shook his head slowly, a smile wide and full of nostalgia like he was remembering.

His smile grew wider as he remembered something else. "There was this one time me and Tara-" he froze mid-sentence and stayed silent, like he hit a chord.

"You don't have to talk about her."

Garfield bit his lip and leaned against the door. "No. It's okay. I think if I talk about her, it might help me move past it."

For a second he didn't talk, and she thought he might've regretted it, but then he started, "Tara was my best childhood friend. She was a complicated girl. For all the fun and games type of attitude she showed off, she was as messed up as me inside, maybe even more." Raven frowned at the insinuation behind it. "But she was a good person, even with all the mistakes she made. Rita didn't like her very much at first, but when she saw how happy she made me, she grew to like her. Steve thought she was a bad influence on me. So we fought a lot about her."

He paused to look down at his hands. "Well it turns out he was right. She was stuck in some deep shit, not even just the drugs and alcohol type shit, she was helping out a mercenary and even sleeping with him." He cringed at that. "An almost fifty-year-old man sleeping with a seventeen-year-old. Can you believe that?" The disgusting set of emotions that had first dawned on him the moment he had found out returned.

"Well one day, after years of working with this demon, she wanted out. But the man convinced her to do one more job for her. It turned out to be her last." His voice cracked at the end and a few tears rolled down his cheeks. "She set up a bomb in the victim's house and when she told the man it was all ready, he blew it up with her in it. She didn't die at the scene but… she was in the hospital a few days, getting progressively worse until… Well, yeah. I got to see her, talk to her those last days, and I could tell she was sorry for everything. And I feel guilty every time I remember just how mad at her I was at that time. And I even thought..." The look of remorse that dawned on his expression hurt even Raven's soul. "I thought it might've been karma at one point. But, even if it was, I must deserve something then too with all the fucked up shit that happened in my life."

They were both silent for a minute after that, until Raven decided to speak.

"My father was a demon."

Garfield furrowed his eyebrows at that, looking over at her. Her face was turned away from him this time, so he couldn't see her expression.

"Trenton Roth. A literal demon. Abused me and my mom every time he was in a bad mood. We were basically his kicking dummies. My mom never stood up to him, and I resented her for that. Until one day she did… And it didn't end well. She almost ended up at the hospital. Then, well, one day she just disappeared. Only left me a note under my pillow saying she would come back for me one day. My father told me she just wasn't in the bed the morning he woke up. I, of course, didn't believe him. At one point, when she didn't come back, I really thought he had killed her, but I came to find out she was just a coward. Running away from her problems, not even taking her daughter with her." She sighed.

"My dad got even worse after that. I was almost fifteen by then, and he started trying to incorporate me into his fucked up business. Drugs, corruption, more fucked up shit that makes this world a rotten place. I managed to get away from him one day with Dick's help. Kory and him helped set up a life for me here. And my father, he tried to contact me a few times, offering me a life of fortune, but I never responded. And he knew it was too risky to come take me by force since I was already an adult and Dick has some influence in the law enforcement world. I wasn't worth the hassle, and I'm glad. I wouldn't have spent even another day in that life."

Another moment of silence before Garfield spoke. "Did you ever think about-" he didn't finish his sentence like he couldn't physically finish it or he was ashamed of it. But Raven knew what he was going to say.

"Ending it?" He heard an almost snort coming from her, though humorless. He still couldn't see her expression, however, only the faint reflection of it in the window since the sky had gotten dark and they only had the lamp above them as their light source. "Every day."

"What stopped you?"

"I would be letting him win. Him and every other fucked up human on this earth." She shrugged and finally turned but didn't look at him. "I have too much pride for that." Her expression was firm, yet behind it, there was a sort of softness to it—she was hiding behind a stoic facade. But as he'd gotten better at reading her, he could see it now, as clear as the light of day.

It was ironic, really. Garfield himself had always been good at covering up his own messed up emotions through laughter and jokes. People mostly fell over it, everyone but Victor had. And now here she was, hiding her messed up life behind an act of impassiveness. And she was good at it, nearly as good as he was.

"You mentioned a relationship… The day we, uh, spent the night together," Garfield mentioned, tone a little nervous. "Do you mind if I ask about it?"

She sighed like she knew the question would be asked eventually. "He was… A guy I met while I was working at a bookstore before Dick hired me as his secretary. He came in every week to get a new book. That was impressive in itself but what drew me to him was the way he treated me. People usually didn't bat an eyelash at me or often avoided me because I looked very alternative at the time, and I didn't really smile much. They only saw a freak. Mal didn't. He treated me like a person, and he made me feel special."

Garfield felt something bubble in his stomach, an emotion he had been very familiar with every time Tara flirted with other guys to 'tease' him.

"Eventually, I gave him a chance. And he was everything I could've wanted in a guy. He was perfect." She let out a deep breath. "But he was too good to be true. He started trying to separate me from my friends. Tried to stop me from hanging out with Kory or even mentioning Dick. He was a jealous bastard, only wanted me to exist for his needs and his needs only."

Garfield clenched his fist all the sudden, unable to contain the bit of rage that exploded within him. How could anyone treat a woman like that? Especially one as special as Raven who had overcome hell on earth?

"But I got tired of it once I realized I'd gotten away from my father just to run into another demon in my life. Decided I wanted no more, so I dumped him. Didn't go well, of course. Stalked me for months after. Showed up at my workplace asking for forgiveness. Then he started getting aggressive when I continued to reject him. Eventually, Dick thought it was best to get me out of that job so he hired me. And he helped me buy the apartment I'm in now until…"

Garfield's stomach dropped. Until..?

"He showed up at my place about a month ago. Tried to take me back. It's a good thing Dick and Kory showed up when they did. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known how to handle it alone there. Dick called the cops, and he finally got arrested."

Garfield couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty, even when there was no possible reason to feel guilty. But a month from now, he had known her. That meant he would have come to her rescue. But he hadn't been there for her, and he hadn't known. But he took comfort in the fact that if he were to ever come back, Garfield would be there to protect her.

"He's in the past now, Gar," she told him, as if reading his mind.

"I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. You weren't there. It wasn't your fault."

"But I'm sorry your life has been so hard."

Raven paused. "Yours has been too."

"But I had Rita, Steve, my family, and Vic. You barely had anyone."

"It's okay." She made eye contact for the first time. "I have you now."

The words lit a fire within him and before he could stop himself, he kissed her with a softness yet passion they hadn't yet shared. She kissed him back, but she was the first to pull away.

"No, Gar," she murmured, looking away. He looked confused. "I can't. Not right now." Her voice was so low and vulnerable, a tone he hadn't ever heard from her, one he didn't even realize she was capable of producing.

Garfield pulled away from her to lean back on his seat. "Okay. I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

After a few more minutes of not saying anything, Raven found it the right time to turn on the engine and pull out of the parking lot. And they didn't speak after that, only gave each other a faint nod once they got to Raven's apartment and he took the driver's seat after she got off. As Garfield drove back to his apartment, he couldn't help but kick himself.

He'd moved too quickly. He'd caught her in a vulnerable position when he shouldn't have. It was a dick move. And now, he was afraid he scared her away like a skittish animal. He was deadly afraid she wouldn't want to speak to him.

Because both knew it hadn't been just a normal kiss, and both knew what that entailed for their relationship moving forward.

* * *

**A/N: This was a little difficult to write but honestly my favorite chapter. I'm a sucker for writing angst, haha! Anyway, thank you so much for the support! I want to let y'all know I really appreciate every single one of you! I'm planning on finishing up this story and hopefully Glass by the end of next month so I can start on my next story Hiraeth next month (the cover and summary is up on my Tumblr lightns881 if you want to see it) and also maybe another one hehe... They're both going to be AUs as y'all know I love AU stories. Love y'all! I hope you enjoyed!**

**calisalex - Huh, I didn't think about this story as being lighter, but I guess you're right. I was actually a little worried this one would be darker since it involves mental illness and all and it's a lot more real. Don't worry! It won't be that kind of drama. It's more emotional drama, I guess you could call it or just angst. I'm so happy I'm bringing you joy! That's actually why I started writing again! You have no idea how much that means to me! Thank you for reading! I promise it will have a good ending!**

**I don't even really know - Thank you! I'm so glad you like it! I appreciate your support!**

**Doki-Doki-CS-Love - Haha, I don't know if that will happen, but I surprise myself sometimes. So, I don't know, maybe it could ;) I don't know if Gar will save the day, precisely, but maybe they'll save each other in the end. Also, make-up sex is most likely going to happen but I'd say it's not so much make-up as it is loving, haha. I doubt I'd write it through though, it'll be like the last semi-explicit scene in this story. As much as I enjoy some good smut every once in a while (Ava Chanel, GolemXIV, and notthisoneagain have some fantastic naughty works!), I don't think I'd be that good at writing it. Also, I love your name!**

**Break Blade - Probably sooner than you thought, haha! I'm glad you're still following along! Sorry for the late updates! Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

"_If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were."_

Richard Bach

It had been a month.

A month without her. He hadn't seen her since that night. No more laying on his bed watching national geographic documentaries, no more venting about how annoying Vic and Sara were in their lovey-dovey stage, no more cuddling or falling asleep together randomly, no more her telling him about all of Kory's frustrations about her upcoming wedding.

No more _them_. Together.

He had tried texting her, but she hadn't answered. He had tried showing up at her apartment, but she either wasn't home every time he was there or she refused to answer the door. He had even tried to talk to Kory, but the woman seemingly avoided him just as well as Raven did. Dick hadn't been any help, either, only shrugging at him when he had asked if he knew where Raven was.

"She's taking some time to herself as far as I know. Things have been calm at the office, so I've been managing without her," Dick had explained as they sat in the strip club's bar where Wally had hosted his bachelor party.

"Do you know how I can contact her?" Gar had asked. Dick had raised an eyebrow at him, probably confused as to why he was bringing it up then.

"Gar, Raven is really good at finding people when she needs them." He had taken a drink of his glass before turning away to look at the stage where a new dancer had started her routine. "She's also really good at avoiding people she doesn't want to see. If she wants to talk to you, trust me, she'll find you."

Garfield hadn't even had time to ask him if he could give her a message as Wally had dragged them both closer to the stage where Roy was excitedly throwing dollar bills and Vic was just standing back shaking his head at the drunken red-head.

That night, he hadn't even paid attention to the petite blond who had taken a liking to him and bought him some drinks, eagerly whispering in his ear about how hot he looked. He hadn't even heard Wally scolding him when Dick told them what had been going on. His mind was solely focused on the dark beauty.

But this time, it'd be different. He was finally going to see her, talk things through, or whatever couples did when they talked about their complicated relationship—not that they were a couple. He only wished it'd be true, but the feeling of dread settling on his stomach told him tomorrow could go all kinds of wrong.

He clutched the card with both hands so hard it ripped the sides of the probably expensive paper.

"You've been staring at that thing for a while now. Is it about Raven?" Vic asked as he walked out of his kitchen crunching on a few Doritos from the family-sized bag.

"She's been refusing to talk to me ever since that night."

"Since you kissed her?"

Garfield nodded gently, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. "But I'm going to talk to her tomorrow, whether she likes it or not." He opened his eyes to look at the invitation once more.

_We graciously invite you to the wedding of Kory Anders and Dick Grayson!_

_Saturday, August 8th, 20XX_

_At six o'clock in the evening_

"Gar." Vic appeared to struggle with what to say next. "I think you should talk to her and all, but I also don't want you guys to make a scene on Kory's special day. Dick said she's been so nervous about this for months now."

"I won't make a scene," Garfield assured him. "I won't." He repeated, probably reassuring himself more than Vic.

* * *

"Took you long enough! I was getting bored hanging around Dick and his annoying little bros!" Wally greeted them with a bro-shake as they entered the church. "Dick's been freaking out all day! His best man almost couldn't find his shoes! How crazy is that!" he burst out laughing, hitting the top of his thigh like it was hysterical.

"How would he even lose his shoes? Makes no sense. Did he walk in here barefoot or what?" Vic asked with a chuckle, proceeding to adjust his tie and taking Sara's hand again. The blonde looked in between the two of them and rolled her eyes.

"Boys," she muttered while pulling a strand of her hair back.

Garfield didn't say anything as his eyes were too busy scanning the crowd of people for Raven. No matter how hard he tried, however, he couldn't see here in between the crowd of heads. "Have you seen Raven?" he directed the question toward Wally without actually looking at him.

"Seen her?" he huffed and crossed his arms. "'Course not, dude. Her and the bridesmaids have been getting ready with the bride all day. Why do you ask?"

Garfield looked back at him. "Just want to talk to her."

Wally raised a curious eyebrow, and just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, Roy came up behind him and hit him in the back so hard he almost choked.

"Finally made it, didn't you?" He gestured toward Garfield, Vic, and Sara. "Kory made sure to reserve the second row for us, well besides Wally here who's gonna be walking Bee down the aisle." He sent him a wink. "You're gonna look great, man. I'm sure all the girls will be fawning over you after."

Wally rolled his eyes. "They'll probably be fawning over Garth over me. Guy has every girl wrapped around his finger with one look."

"Oh yeah, Garth is walking too, huh? Next thing you tell me is Kent's kid is also walking."

"Connor? Nah. I think he was going to, but Tim took his place. He wanted to experience his big brother's wedding first hand."

"Who else is walking?" Victor asked.

Garfield lost interest in the conversation as he continued scouting the crowd with his eyes.

"Let's see, on Dick's side, Garth is last, I'm right after, then Tim, and Jason's the best man. I was honestly real surprised, him and Dick didn't get along for a long time but I guess they made up. Jason and Tim are Dick's younger brothers. Then for Kory." He thought for a moment. "I think it's Jade first, then Bee, then Donna, I don't think you've met her since she couldn't make it to the party, but she's a close friend. And then… Oh, yeah! Raven's the maid of honor."

At the sound of her name, Garfield instantly turned. "Raven?"

"Yeah, Jason's walking her."

"Jason?" Garfield narrowed his eyes at the new name. "Who's that?"

"Dude, were you even listening?" Roy jumped in with a laugh. "He's Dick's younger brother. Boy Wonder's got a big family, man, and basically all adopted. Wayne has an addiction to adopting strays, I guess."

"Wayne? As in Bruce Wayne?" Vic questioned.

"You didn't know? Why do you think Dick has a position so high up in Wayne Industries? His old man is Bruce Wayne," Wally explained.

"Oh, wow. Kind of shocked then. Didn't realize Dick was keeping that a secret."

"Dick's not the sharing type of guy if you haven't noticed."

"Wally!"

"Speak of the devil," Roy muttered as they all turned and spotted Dick walking over.

"Oh, hey guys, glad you could make it," he greeted his new guests then turned to Wally. "Why aren't you in position? We're about to start!"

"Chill, dude. I've got five minutes and you know I'll get there in less than a second." Wally waved a dismissive hand. Dick glared daggers, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him away while Wally sent them a two-finger gesturing good-bye.

"We should go take our seats, babe. The ceremony is about to start," Sara told Vic.

"Oh, yeah. Of course!" She locked his arm with his and started walking toward the front rows, Garfield and Roy following behind shortly after.

"Say, do you have a thing for Raven?" Roy inquired with a curious glance.

"I just need to talk to her is all," Garfield said, his tone indicating that was the end of the matter.

They took their seats, and a few minutes later, the music started to play. Everyone turned to watch the aisle's entrance.

The officiant walked in first, a tall dark man with a kind face.

Then, Dick walked in donning his dark blue suit and a red rose pinned to his chest, his hair slicked back and his face fully uncovered. Garfield realized it was one of the only times he had seen Dick without his dark shades. Truthfully, he was a very good-looking and successful guy, leaving Garfield feeling a little jealous and inferior to him. Here he was barely holding his job as a barista and his new gig as a side actor, and Dick was already managing his own company. Not to mention he had a beautiful woman he loved by his side. In addition to having Raven too, perhaps not romantically, but Garfield had certainly noticed how close the two were during his time with her.

Behind him, the groomsmen and bridesmaids were slowly making their descent toward the front.

First, it was Jade and a handsome guy he didn't recognize. The bridesmaid attire certainly showed off Kory's love for fashion. It was a backless soft pink mermaid dress with a silver sash across the front along with a silver necklace. Jade's black hair was pinned up with a combining silver clip. She was slightly smiling, looking forward, her arm locked with the guy, he assumed it was Garth by Wally's description.

The groomsmen's attire were grey pants with two blue suspenders and a light blue bow tie. Garth's hair was slicked back in a similar manner to Dick. His skin was much tanner than Dick's, and he had a surfer kind of look to him.

Wally and Karen walked in next. They wore the same attire though Wally's hair was spiking up, a little more arranged than usual, and Karen's hair was down in its natural curls, only pulled back with a silver clip.

Behind them were who he assumed were Donna and Tim. Donna was a medium-height woman, probably standing between Kory and Raven in height. Her hair was fully down and completely black. She was smiling widely with her teeth, a beautiful smile almost radiating light. Tim looked like a kid next to Donna. He was a few inches shorter than her, and he had a younger-looking face like he was in his late teens. His dark hair was short and in spikes similar to Wally's. He had a slight smirk as he walked like he was genuinely happy to be there.

Finally, Raven walked in behind them in all her glory, arm interlocked with this new _Jason_ figure. Garfield didn't even realize he instinctively clenched his fists when he saw them walk in. Though they softened once he took in her appearance. She was breath-taking. Her dress was the same color and style as the bridesmaids, but her sash and necklace were a rose gold that complimented her wonderfully. Her hair was pulled up with cascading curls coming down to frame her face. While she wasn't smiling like Donna, her subtle hint of a smile was enough to tell him she was happy to be there. Jason was a taller, buffer dude, even bigger than Dick himself despite being his younger brother. He looked like the kind of guy you wouldn't want to bump into in an alley in the middle of the night.

Right behind them came the ring bearer and flower girl. The ring bearer was a small boy with messy red hair whose expression appeared completely petrified as he walked. The girl beside him was taller than him with blonde hair pulled up in pigtails. She was smiling widely in comparison to the boy. Their eyes were focused on someone in front of them. As Garfield followed their eyesight, he realized they were staring at Raven whose smile seemed wider as she watched them with amusement like they were her own children walking. The boy walked up to Jason and raised his pillow. Jason slightly smiled and took the two rings before the boy instantly ran to the girl's side, and they walked over to stand by Raven. Though it was quick and subtle, Garfield noticed how the boy instantly took Raven's hand, and he seemed to calm down a little when he did. He felt a burst of butterflies in his stomach as it happened, unsure why the sight made him feel so warm all around, so much he even forgot about Jason.

The music faded, and after a few seconds of silence, the _Here Comes the Bride_ theme started to play. As Kory stepped in through the archway, everybody stood up. Garfield struggled to see her in between all the people until she started walking forward. He could only imagine how Dick felt considering he momentarily stopped breathing himself.

Kory was naturally gorgeous at any time, but today, she appeared a goddess. Her long, red hair cascaded down in curls, and the veil was nearly as long. Her gown was long and puffy from the bottom like a princess dress, a few flowers stitched near her waist. It met at the top with a halter strap that resembled those old Greek togas. It was pinned to her left shoulder with a silver hoop. Most of her back was exposed, showing off her glimmering skin. She literally appeared to shine like gold. The attire complimented her body perfectly.

There was a man with hair color similar to hers walking her. He was a monstrosity of a man, even taller than Kory, and Garfield could tell he was extremely muscular even with his suit on. He could only imagine what he would do if Dick were to ever hurt Kory (which he highly doubted considering the man was completely love-struck).

The wedding officiant said a few words, which Garfield totally missed considering he was focused on Raven the entire time and what he would say to her. Then, Kory's father left her next to Dick at the altar. She stood directly in front of Dick giving him the widest smile Garfield had yet to see her in.

After a few more words from the officiant, Dick started on his wedding vow. "I know I might be a little cold at times and maybe a little too serious. Before I met you, I really didn't know how to live. I was too stubborn on succeeding in my career, I forgot life was about living and loving. Then you came in like a comet, and you brought brightness like I've never seen before. You taught me how to smile more, how to be a little more spontaneous, how to love someone to their fullest. You brought me life, Kory Anders. And now, I promise to do the same for you and love you unconditionally. You're my forever."

Kory was seemingly trying to clean up the few tears on her cheeks so as to not ruin her makeup. She took a deep breath and spoke. "Richard Grayson, I have to admit when we first met I could not believe a person could ever be so aggravatingly stubborn and boring." The crowd chuckled at Dick's dumbstruck face. "But I came to find out there was more to you than I first thought. I realized you are an incredible leader, that you are extremely loyal to those you care about, that you would gladly sacrifice yourself for them, and that you are a hero. My hero. I was so lost when I started a life in this country, but you managed to steer me in the right direction and did not try to do it in efforts to woo me like other guys. Even after I kissed you on our first-day meeting because it is a casual greeting in my country." The crowd laughed again. "And slowly, I fell in love with you. And now I promise to love you unconditionally until my last days. You are also my forever."

As happy and touched as Garfield felt, he couldn't help but also feel sadness. Had Tara been in his life right now, he would've probably already married her. He would be standing in that altar next to her telling her how happy she made him. But now, he realized he no longer felt sad he didn't have the chance to marry Tara, but he did feel a void in his heart that only one person could fill. He took his eyes off the couple and glanced at Raven. His gaze widened as he realized she was also staring at him, her expression unreadable this time like she was trapped in her thoughts. She didn't look away when they locked eyes like someone ought to do when they're caught staring, but instead, her stare seemed to deepen like she was trying to stare straight into him or straight _through_ him.

"You may now seal your vows with a kiss," the officiant pronounced, and everybody started clapping and wooing at what Garfield could only assume was their kiss. Yet even with the crowd around him, he didn't take his eyes off Raven. And for a second, she didn't either, until he saw her sigh and turn away to smile and clap at the newlywed couple.

Suddenly, _We are Family_ started blasting through the venue and the party started their exit. Kory and Dick walked out dancing and singing to the song while high-fiving a few of the guests on the sides of the aisle. The flower girl and ring bearer practically dragged Raven while jumping and dancing while Jason walked next to them with a slight smile. Donna and Tim strolled through casually with arms interlocked smiling at the guests. Bee and Wally walked out with a synchronized dance and big smiles. Finally, Jade and Garth walked through, also happily moving to the rhythm of the song.

"Dude! Were you crying?" Vic asked Roy.

Roy played it off cool by wiping his face and muttering something about there being something in his eye before standing up along with the rest of the people who were now walking toward the exit.

"Ready for the reception, Gar?" Vic's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

The blond looked up at him and smirked. "'Course I am." Even though he felt his insides melting.

* * *

"Friends!" Kory embraced each of them as they walked into the venue, even Sara who she had yet to meet. She had changed out of her wedding dress and was now wearing a white mermaid dress with a similar style to her bridesmaids.

"This is my fiance Sara," Vic introduced her.

"So nice to meet you." Sara raised her hand to shake hers.

"You as well!" Kory glanced at the hand but instead took her into a second hug. "Any loved one of my friends is a friend of mine!"

"Can't believe you're finally married to my boy, Dick, Kor! Good luck with that," Roy teased with a laugh.

"Thank you, Roy! I very much appreciate it. I believed a friend of mine saved you a seat at our table." She smirked slyly and pointed at Jade who was sitting by the other groomsmen and maids of honor. Garfield searched through the faces before realizing neither Raven nor Jason were there.

Roy's face reddened and headed into the ballroom followed by Vic and Sara after they gave their congratulations.

"Hey, Kory. Do you know where Raven is?" he asked.

Kory smiled warmly at him. "I think she might be in the changing room? But I am not completely sure."

"Alright, thanks! I'll see if I can find her." He started walking away before turning around momentarily. "Oh and congrats! The ceremony was great and you look beautiful!"

"Gar!" she called after him.

He stopped again and glanced at her. Her smile was seemingly smaller, and she bit her lip gently before shaking her head. "It is nothing. Thank you. I wish you good luck."

Garfield had the sense she wanted to tell him something, but he decided to push it aside and headed for the hallway with the signs 'Bathroom' and 'Changing Room' marked above it. He made a left turn, the music fading a bit as he walked down it. When he found the changing room, he gently knocked once. When no one answered, he got impatient and decided to barge in (which was probably a bad idea but he just wanted to talk to her).

Inside, Raven was sitting on the sofa with a paper in her hand with Jason glancing over her shoulder. They both looked up at him, Jason with a puzzled expression and Raven with an irritated one.

"I, uh-" Garfield glanced in between them, his stomach dropping completely. He felt like a cord had just wrapped around his heart and squeezed it so hard it burst. "Sorry if I interrupted you," he stated before heading back out, closing the door, and leaning against it, unsure of what to do next.

The door opened, and he almost fell back except Raven pushed him back. Momentarily stunned, he turned as quick as lightning to stare at her. She looked even more beautiful up close. Though she'd look even more beautiful if she were smiling. But right now, she was glaring daggers into his skull.

She slammed the door behind them and dragged him further into the hallway into another empty room. She closed the door behind them and crossed her arms. He had a feeling she was infuriated with him, though he wasn't sure why. Shouldn't he be the angry one?"

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" she finally asked.

"Well, I don't know, Raven. I guess I was just so desperate to talk to you because you've been ignoring me for weeks and then I find you with someone else." His voice turned aggressive, more than he meant for it to be.

She was still frowning at him. "First of all, I've been so busy with Kory's wedding preparations and recital, I had to take some time off. Second of all, I was helping Jason review his best man speech, and third of all, even if you had found me with someone else, we're not dating at all so I don't understand why you're acting like this."

Garfield's face turned a little red at her explanation, and he ran both his hands through his hair nervously. "Look, Rae-"

"It's Raven."

"Raven," he said her name with a frown. It felt so wrong going back to this back and forth arguing they had started their relationship with. "You can't pretend there's nothing between us. And even if you had been busy, a text or a quick call would've been nice, you know?"

Raven nodded and slightly bit her lip. "I do admit, at first, I was trying to get a handle of my emotions before talking to you. And after that I forgot in between all of the responsibilities and other issues coming up."

"You forgot?" Garfield gave a laugh of indignation. "How do you just _forget_ we kissed? How do you just _forget_ all those times we fell asleep together in my bed? How do you just _forget_ we had fucking sex!"

Raven avoided his glare, and for some reason, it made his blood boil. Even here, she was still avoiding facing him.

"I am sorry."

"Is that all you have to say?" he huffed, turning around and pacing around, suddenly aching to move or do something physical.

"What do you want me to say, Garfield?" He tensed at hearing his full name and frowned at her. "That I want us to be together? That I want to open up again like I did with Mal? That I finally found someone I love even though I wasn't look for that after being hurt by so many people in my life? That I'm in love with you?" She had taken a step closer with every word, and she was now standing only a few inches from him, both eyes searching him so thoroughly he felt she could read his mind.

"If that's how you feel, then yes." He searched the depths of her eyes, all of his anger faltering within the span of a second replaced by the need to love and protect her. How did she do this to him?

"Well even if it's how I feel, I made a decision on whatever our relationship is." She turned away and walked back. Garfield suddenly ached to have her face so close again. "We can't be together. Not now."

"What? Why not? You just admitted you want me as much as I do you!" He stepped forward to reach for her hand, but she pulled it away before he could.

"Garfield, we're both in a bad place in our lives at the moment. We've been hurt by somebody we love, and we've lost something so valuable to us. I realize now we were relying on each other to keep ourselves afloat."

Her voice cracked, and he thought she might be crying, but he couldn't see her face. "I have made enough mistakes like that to realize it's not what I want. You can't put your faith in someone else when you don't even have enough faith for yourself in the first place. We need to figure ourselves out before we try anything, no matter how much we want to be with each other. It might not end well if we do."

Her voice faded after the last word, and for a few moments, neither said anything. Garfield didn't know what to say. "So that's why I decided we can't be with each other right now. And I can't be around you right now either. I know you're a bright person, and you bring happiness to those who surround you. Hell, you brought light into my life during such a dark time," she gave a humorless chuckle. "But we can't rely on each other for happiness because we don't know at what moment this fucked up world can take the other away. Because you and I both understand what losing someone can do to you, and if you can't face that on your own, there's no telling what type of darkness can take hold of you."

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Gar. I really am. But right now, you're not what I need." Her demeanor faltered, and he could tell by her broken voice she was definitely crying. "And I'm not what you need."

She walked out.

He didn't attempt to chase after her nor did he call her back. He didn't even make a gesture to move.

He just let her walk out.

* * *

"Need me to drive you?" Vic asked as they stood outside the venue by the parking lot. "You don't have a ride. And it looks like it's about to rain."

"It's fine. I'll take the train. I want you to enjoy your night with Sara." Garfield sent him a small smile. "Tell Kory and Dick I was feeling sick. Had to leave early."

Vic examined his friend closely, frowning. "Are you sure you're okay? What did you two talk about?"

Garfield hesitated before telling him, "I'll tell you later. You just enjoy your night." He turned toward the street, hands in his pockets.

"Hey, dude," Vic called before he could walk off.

Garfield glanced back. Vic was smiling at him. "I love you, man, okay? Promise you won't do anything I wouldn't approve of?"

Gar huffed, somewhat touched, and nodded. "Promise."

And he walked off.

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

_Six Months Later_

He nearly slipped as he rushed into the building clutching the pizza bag with one hand. He hurried into the third elevator to the right of the main reception area, and once he reached the office on the eighth floor, he stopped for a moment, supporting his hand on his knee to catch his breath.

"Do you need something, sir?" The lady at the front desk raised an eyebrow at him.

"Gimme a sec," he managed as he took a few deep breaths and stood up straight. "I, uh." He scrambled for the paper in his pocket. "Delivery for Angela?"

The lady gave him a once-over (most likely silently judging him for his disorganized appearance) for a second before pressing the call button on the side of her desk and saying, "Arella. The delivery guy is looking for you."

_Arella_. The name echoed in his head.

_Arella_. Where had he heard it before? He must know her somehow.

He heard a door open and heels clicking to his right. "That's for me."

When he turned, it hit him in an instant.

_Arella_.

"That's a beautiful name," he told her as he took out the pizza from the bag and handed it to her.

The woman with dark hair and beautiful indigo eyes furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Thank you," she said while handing him the money and watching him suspiciously.

Garfield took her hand as opposed to taking the money and didn't let go. The expression of indignation she made was so familiar to him. He had seen it in _her _face all those many times. She opened her mouth to say something, probably because she thought he was flirting with her, but he beat her to it.

"I'm sure Raven would be interested to know how you ended up in Jump City of all places after all these years."

She froze, staring at him in befuddlement. Garfield put the money in her left hand and used his other to shake her right hand. "Garfield Logan. I'm a friend of your daughter's."

Arella composed herself, taking the money, and shaking his hand. "Garfield," she said his name like she was memorizing it, her serious tone sounding oh-so similar to _hers_. "Would you have a moment to speak?"

He sent her his signature sly grin, "Sure thing."

* * *

**A/N: Wow, that was hard to write. Sorry for the delay, I just finished finals week and I was majorly exhausted. Good news is no more school to keep me from writing! Schedule on my profile seems to be going smoothly so far! Next chapter is the last one. I promise there will be a happy ending for this one. Might not be a perfect happily ever after, but it will be happy in retrospect. Thanks for the support from all of you! We've reached over 10k views and 100 followers! This is the highest I've had for this fandom so I'm really happy! I'm glad people are enjoying it! Love you guys, see you next time!**

**(PS: My next fanfiction announcement is up on my profile and my Tumblr so you can check the cover and summary for that there! Also, Hiraeth is very close to being released ;) Toodles!)**

**Sanzojoe: You're so right except that was a little delayed for this chapter, haha! I'm sorry! Hope you like it still!**

**Break Blade: It will be happy! I promise! :) Thanks for the read and review!**

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	12. Chapter 12

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

"_Close your eyes and think about that boy. Tell me how he makes you feel. Let your mind trace over his tired shoulders. Allow your thoughts to linger on that beautiful smile. Take a deep breath and try to push those dark feelings aside. For once let go of the reins you've wrapped so tightly around your heart. I know you are scared. Who could blame you? Love is a hurricane wrapped inside a chrysalis. And you are a girl walking into the storm."_

Lang Leav, Memories

"Oh, hi there! Are you lost, little guy?" Garfield kneeled down to the toddler's level, smiling warmly as he did. He had just walked into the Wayne Enterprise Headquarters and hadn't expected to see a little blond boy sitting by the elevators playing with his pacifier.

The little boy looked up at him with wide, sky-blue eyes and smiled, showing off his tiny white pearls, a few of which were missing. He raised his hands as if he wanted Garfield to carry him. Garfield glanced around, seeing if he could find the boy's parents before he raised him into his arms.

A second later, the elevator doors opened, revealing the person he'd been there to look for. Raven looked surprised for a moment, her eyes locking with the toddler's before he raised his arms and let out a "Momma!"

Garfield furrowed his eyebrows, unexpecting of the toddler's reaction.

"Teether. What are you doing down here? Did Melvin let you run out again?" Raven took the toddler from Garfield's arms and stared him up and down. "Gar," she nodded in acknowledgment.

"Long time, no see, Rae!" Garfield offered a smile. He glanced at the little boy. "So, uh, who's this?"

Raven looked at Teether before replying, "This is Teether. I'm fostering him."

Garfield felt the same strange sensation he'd felt back at the wedding when he'd seen her with the two kids. "Oh. That's great! Hi Teether, I'm Gar." He took the little boy's hand with his fingers. "You're a cute little guy, aren't you?"

"Why did you come here, Gar?" Raven skipped the small-chat, and Garfield chuckled considering he'd predicted she'd want to get straight to the point of his visit.

"I need to talk to you," he admitted.

Raven watched him through narrow eyes and sighed. "Very well. We can talk in my office." She stepped back into the elevator, and Garfield hesitated before following her in.

"Let's hope the elevator doesn't break down again," he joked as the doors closed.

Fortunately, it didn't, and they arrived on the thirty-sixth floor of the building safely without any trouble. They took a few turns in the hallways before they finally got to Raven's office. The first thing Garfield noticed once inside were the two kids sitting on the ground playing a game of monopoly. They were the same two kids who had been at Dick and Kory's wedding. Had she started fostering them back then? If she had, how had he not known about it?

"This is Timmy," Raven introduced the boy with messy red hair. "And this is Melvin," she signaled toward the blonde girl with little pigtails. "Guys, this is Garfield, a friend of mine."

"Hi, Mister!" Melvin waved at him. "Do you want to play Monopoly with us?" she asked excitedly.

"Not right now, Melvin," Raven said before he could even offer a response. "Take your monopoly game to the common room and take care of Teether this time. Alright? Don't let him run out."

"Okay." Melvin appeared a little deflated but followed her instructions.

After she and Timmy gathered up their stuff and stepped outside, Raven crossed her arms and leaned against her desk, staring at Garfield expectantly. "I have a lot of work to do, so please make this quick."

Garfield sighed and buried his hands into his pockets. "That's it? No asking how I've been? What's going on with me? Anything?"

"From what I can see." Her eyes traced him up and down. "You look fine. And I don't exactly have time for small talk so whatever it is you want to tell-"

"I found your mother."

Her words were caught at the back of her throat, and she stared at him, her mouth opening and closing like she wasn't sure what to say.

Garfield took it as a signal to keep talking. "She lives in Jump City. I just thought I should let you know, but if you're too busy to talk even about that. I can just leave."

He turned his feet like he was headed for the door when she called out, so quietly he barely heard it, "Gar…"

He glanced at her, and she waved for him to sit on the chair in front of her desk. Garfield smiled and followed her instructions.

After a few moments of silence, she finally asked, "How did you find her?"

"I guess you could call it fate." She stared at him, and he shook his head with a smile. "I was making a pizza delivery."

Raven arched an eyebrow at the new job, and he felt the need to explain. "I've been working as a supporting actor for an indie film. I have money, but Steve's condition took a turn for the worse, and I have to use it for his treatment. So I have to get a side gig to support myself on the side of my acting career."

Her gaze softened, and she looked like she was about to say something, but Garfield quickly beat her to it. "But about your mother." He slipped out a folded envelope from his back pocket and offered it to her. She hesitated, staring at it for a moment and pursing her lips before she gently accepted it. "She gave me this letter explaining everything, I guess. She also told me to give you a message."

Raven looked up from the card.

"She says sorry. That she never meant to hurt you, and that she loves you with all of her heart and hopes you're doing well. She wrote the letter back a long time ago, hoping that one day it'd find its way to you. She understands if you don't want to see her, but she would love to see you. There's an address with a time and day on the back. She will be waiting for you there." Garfield looked to the side, avoiding her gaze. "I told you you'd find someone to love. I think this might be it." He offered a smile, though a somewhat sad one. "And your kids. They're wonderful."

He stood up. "But I suppose you have other things to do, so I'll leave you to it."

Before he could walk out, her voice stopped him. "Gar." When he looked back, she smiled, a beautiful and genuine smile that was rare for her. It made his heart flutter. "Thank you."

He smiled and then headed out of the office. He waved goodbye to the kids and as the elevator doors opened, his eyes grew wide, recognizing the person on the other side.

"Friend Gar!" Kory quickly took him to an embrace, though not as strong nor as close as her usual hugs were considering the enormous belly she was sporting kept them apart.

"Kory! Uh…" Garfield looked down at her stomach. "Wow."

Kory looked down as well and giggled. "I am six months in. We have not seen each other since the wedding. Vic told us you left for Jump City to pursue your acting career."

"That's right." Garfield glanced at her sheepishly. "I'm really sorry about that."

"Do not apologize, my dear friend. I understand it was not just for your career that you left." She smiled warmly at him, and it was then he realized Kory was a lot smarter than she let on.

Garfield smiled back. "So, how's Dick doing?"

"He is doing wonderfully. Though I have noticed he is a lot more nervous now with a baby on the way. I believe he does not know if he will be an adequate father."

"I'm sure he'll be great. Do you know the gender yet?"

"We are having a girl!" Kory clapped her eyes, looking thrilled.

"That's awesome! Do you have a name for her yet?"

Kory caressed her belly for a moment, smiling like she was holding the baby already in her arms. "We have not yet confirmed it, but we do both love the name Mari."

"Mari Grayson. Sounds like a beautiful name."

"Would you like to attend the traditional shower of the baby we are holding next month? We will be delighted to have you! Or will you be returning to Jump City?"

Garfield considered the invitation. Admittedly, he had been planning to return to Jump City and settle there permanently after he finished filming. However, coming back for only a short while made him realize San Francisco was his real home. He could be close to his friends here, and it would be easier getting acting gigs now that he had an official production on his resume. Not to mention he could be close to Steve in case anything were to happen. "You know what, Kory. I'll be returning to finish a job over there next week. I was planning to stay over there but… I think you've convinced me to come back. There's too much to miss over here to just up and leave. Plus, I get to meet your little girl."

Kory jumped a little and brought him into another hug. "Oh, I am so thrilled!"

Garfield chuckled as he felt his stomach compress from her own belly. After she let him go, he asked, "So are you here to see Raven?"

"I am here to pick up her children. I look over them while she is at work, but I had an errand to run today, so she had to bring them with her."

"Her kids, huh? When exactly did she start fostering them?" He asked, hoping to get information out of her considering Raven would probably refuse to tell him.

"She took them in a few weeks before our wedding. Their parents were acquaintances of Raven. After they died, they were put into the foster care system and were meant to be separated into different homes because nobody wanted to foster all three. Raven did not allow that to happen."

"That's… Wow, rough, but very caring of her," he admitted, smiling to himself. Who knew Raven had a motherly side hidden behind her emotionless facade?

"I have to go now, friend. It was wonderful getting to see you again. I will set for Vic to send you the details to our celebration in the coming weeks. I cannot wait for us to meet again!"

"You too, Kor. I'll be seeing you." He smiled one last time before finally getting on the elevator and heading down. As he exited the building, he found himself chuckling as he walked to his car. He sure had missed being there.

* * *

Raven clutched the letter with both hands tightly as she stood outside the dinner. She admitted she hadn't expected her mother to ever walk back into her life just like that. Raven had thought she would never forgive her for leaving her with a demon father. That was until she had her own children, and she suddenly under the true reason her mother had left her. She understood what it was to put your child before anyone else, that sense of fierce protectiveness you got any time a threat came their way.

She finally understood.

Her eyes traced the contents of the letter once more, the knot at her throat threatening to dispel at any second.

_My Dear Raven,_

_I do not know if you will ever read this letter. I do not know if I will ever get to see your beautiful face again. I do not know if I will ever get to embrace you like I did all those times when you were just a tiny baby. You did always look at me with those big, innocent blue eyes like you knew something I didn't. Now I realize that perhaps you did know. Every night I see that face staring back at me, and you cannot imagine the weight of the guilt I carry with me. It's as if you knew I would leave you, and you stared at me just hoping it'd convince me to stay. You have no idea how much I did want to stay. But I couldn't, for your safety._

_So if you ever read this letter, I want you to know the truth. I know this will never make up for what I did. It is in no way meant for you to forgive me. Only you will decide that in the end. I only want to give you, at the very least, a sense of closure._

_When I first met your father, I fell in love with an image of him. He was this perfect man who claimed my heart, and even though your grandparents forbid me from seeing him, I married him. Despite all of the pain and despair it brought me once I figured out who the true Trenton was, I do not regret it a single day of my life because I had you. You've always been stronger than me, Raven. You stood up against your father more times than I ever did, but it never ended well. I never let him raise his hand at you, however. Whatever frustrations he had, he could let it out on me. But never you. And one day, after a particular fight, just as he was about to raise his hand on me, you came in and knocked him down with a bat. I still remember your expression, a kind of fierceness I never had the capacity to carry. But you were determined to save me. You even threatened that we would leave the house like I used to tell you all those times after a bad fight with him. That was the last straw for Trenton. He told me I was a bad influence on you, that I was encouraging you to stand up to him. He said if I dared to leave and take you with me, he would hunt us down, and he wouldn't hesitate to kill us. He didn't care for the consequences._

_Your father backed me into a corner. He told me I had a choice, leave by myself and never come back or defy him and he would murder us. I knew he was serious. I had never seen such a serious expression on him before. I couldn't lose you. I didn't care what would happen to me, but I couldn't lose my only daughter. I would've gone to the police, but at the time, Trenton had corruption everywhere. I couldn't trust a single person there. My only choice was to leave, and truthfully, knowing you were a warrior and that you could stand up to him like I never could made me hopeful that you would find your way out later in life. I hope you do. I have no means of knowing where you are. I cannot risk trying to find out because if your father finds out, he will go through with his promise, and I will never let that happen. If anything, that is the only way I can protect you now._

_I love you with all of my heart Raven. I hope that one day you will forgive me for leaving you. And I hope that we will meet again someday. That I will take you into arms just like I did back then._

_With My Deepest Love,_

_Arella_

She stared at the letter, the sides of the paper crumbling from how hard she was holding it. She looked up at the sign of the Dinner before taking a deep breath and stepping inside. There were only a couple of people there. Near the entrance, there was an elderly couple sitting by each other eating their dinner, happily conversing and laughing together. In one of the middle tables, there was a family of two parents and three kids. The kids appeared to be hyperactive, one jumping out of his seat yelling something and the other two fighting for a toy. The parents looked stressed as they tried to handle them and when their food arrived, they seemed to settle down. Finally, in the back of the dinner, there was a figure sitting on a booth looking through the menu. Her dark hair was shrouding her face, but even though she couldn't see what she looked like, she knew it was her.

"Good afternoon, Miss, would you like a table?" One of the attendants walked over with an inviting smile.

"No, thank you. I am looking for someone."

"Alright, call me over if you need any help," she smiled and walked off to attend the elderly couple.

Raven walked toward the figure, feeling her heart at her throat. Every step felt like a mile walked, and she could barely hear the music over her beating heart. As she neared the figure, she turned, and the familiar indigo eyes almost made Raven want to turn around and run out, never looking back. But she didn't. She froze to her spot, staring at the woman.

Arella stood up, staring at her daughter for a second in disbelief before running toward her and taking her into an embrace. Raven couldn't believe what was happening. A surge of emotions drowned out her thoughts, and all she could fully process was that her mother was there hugging her. She was there in flesh and blood. She was standing right there.

It took her a few seconds, but Raven finally returned the hug, burying her face into her shoulder and feeling the wetness of her eyes stain her mother's blouse. It reminded her of all those moments she had comforted her mother after a particularly bad beating or when her mother would comfort her after Raven would come back from school sad because all the kids called her names and excluded her from any recess activities.

They hugged. They hugged like it was the end of the world. Like it was the last time they would ever get to embrace. And mother and daughter, finally reunited, both let go only until they were sure it wasn't just a dream or that the other wouldn't just disappear. Both still had tears trailing down their cheeks, smiling and laughing like there was something funny about them standing in the middle of a dinner embracing like they hadn't seen each other for nearly a decade. They didn't care that half of the people in the dinner were staring at them. They could only see each other.

"Mom…" Raven managed, voice only a whisper.

Arella stared at her with a smile as big as the one she'd had the first day she had held Raven in her arms. It was the first time Raven had ever properly addressed her as her mother.

"Raven…" She took her into her arms once more, enjoying every second feeling her daughter's warmth envelop her. She was alive. She was all grown up. She was beautiful.

And she was there with her.

Raven smiled at the second hug. The tears had finally stopped flowing, and she felt a brightness in her heart that she'd been missing for so long. A brightness so revitalizing she felt like a missing part of her soul had just been returned. And she hugged her, a hard and desperate hug like she would never let her go.

And she forgave her mother.

* * *

"How did Gar know it was her?" Dick asked.

After Raven had casually mentioned she'd found her mother the following week at work, Dick had instantly taken it as a chance to talk. Considering Raven had rarely opened up even about Trigon, finding out about her mother's reappearance had shocked him. Though it was somewhat annoying she couldn't finish up her work for the day and she'd probably have to finish at home, she didn't mind as she hadn't properly sat down to really talk to Dick after everything got hectic following his return from his honeymoon period with Kory.

"I told him about her. I guess he just remembered her name and saw the resemblance. Arella isn't a very common name, after all." She shrugged.

Dick was quiet for a second, thinking about it like it was some sort of mystery he had to get to the bottom of. He had a tendency to over-analyze any and every news. Kory had told her he had even taken a minute to process Kory's news after she'd told him she was pregnant.

"Interesting." Dick nodded, a finger under his chin. "Did you know Kory invited Gar to the baby shower?"

"She did? Well, good for her then."

"Are you planning on talking to him?" he asked, a hint of curiosity in his tone. Of course, he wanted to go there.

Raven sighed. "What did Kory tell you?"

"That you had a bad fight, and then Vic told us Gar left for Jump City shortly after. Doesn't seem like a coincidence."

"Whatever reason Gar had for leaving, it was not my concern. Besides, if you think it was solely because of me, you are wrong. He left to pursue his acting career."

They were silent for a moment, and Raven took it as a time to stand up so she could get back to work until Dick grabbed her wrist and sat her back down. He took a deep breath and said something she didn't expect, "You know how I met Kory?"

"She kissed you at the airport after you helped her find the exit to her terminal."

"Yeah. But that's not the whole story."

"What do you mean?" Raven looked confused, seeing as Kory had told her the story millions of times.

"That might've been all for Kory, but for me, it was kind of a crazy life-defining moment. I wasn't even supposed to be at that airport."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, that week, Roy was supposed to drop off Donna at the airport because she was going back to Themyscira for the holidays. But the day before I had told Wally to take some time off and go have fun at a bar or something because he had just been dumped by his long-term girlfriend. Wally invited Roy to go with him, and they ended up basically blacking out. Roy called me that morning freaking out because he wasn't going to make it in time to drop Donna off since he was half-way across the city and had woken up late. So he begged me to take her since I was closest. I hesitantly agreed, and so, ended up at that airport. What's crazy is, once Donna boarded her plane, I was planning to go back to take a bite at home, but I was so hungry I decided to grab a snack. When I came out of the store, I saw Kory. She looked really distraught trying to ask for directions from the people passing by, but nobody was listening, so I was the one to help her."

He didn't say anything, and Raven stared at him expectantly. "So?" she asked like she wasn't catching his point.

"So if it hadn't been for me telling Wally to take the day off or deciding I was too hungry to wait to eat at home, I probably wouldn't have even met Kory."

"And you're telling me this because?"

Dick chuckled and leaned back on the couch. "You know, Raven, you're so much like me when it comes to our way of thinking. We're very forward and logical. We don't really believe in the concept of fate or anything."

"You're right there."

"And not that I believe it was fate for me to meet Kory, but it was certainly an opportunity I decided to pursue."

"That's great for you, Dick."

"I think you should try it too. I know Malchior and your father took a toll on you but don't you think it's worth opening your heart again just this once? I've noticed how much Gar's changed you since you met him. You weren't as caught up with Malchior, and he even found your mother. Not to mention, you decided to take in the responsibility of Melvin, Timmy, and Teether because you cared so much about them. You might not be fully ready to love again, but I don't think nobody ever is. You have to take the risk."

Raven stared at him, processing his advice. It made so much sense, yet for whatever reason, a part of her was still holding back. "What if it doesn't work out?"

"Then you'll live with the good memories you made, and you'll move on. Gar is a good guy, Raven. Even if he didn't make the best impression on me when I saw you two getting frisky at my engagement party, once I got to know him, I realized he really cares about you."

Raven took a deep breath. She pursed her lips before standing up and offering a tiny smirk. "Thanks, Dick. I'll think about it. But we really have to get to work now."

* * *

"So you're staying after all?" was the first thing Vic asked the moment Gar got inside his oh-so-precious T-car which he had recently dubbed after their official college football team, the Titans, considering he'd been a passionate football player back in the day.

"That's the plan." Garfield grinned at him.

"Man, and here I thought I would have to bring in the whole gang to convince you. It only took Kory for you to do it!" He patted his friend on the back with a chuckle and headed for the garage. "You're gonna get a new place, then?"

"I'm thinking… I might go back to Rita and Steve's old house."

Vic sent him a side-glance, somewhat confused. "That old place? I thought you were going to sell it."

"I was going to, but… I don't think I can bring myself to do it."

"Are you sure you can live there though? It's on the outskirts of the city, and you'll be alone there… You sure you can handle it?"

"Don't worry about me, Vic. I've gotten a lot better since I moved away. It helped clear my mind a lot, and even if I don't think I've fully gotten over Rita and Tara's deaths, I've accepted it. I know nothing can bring them back, and I know they'd both want me to look forward."

Vic smiled. "I'm glad you finally realized it, little man."

Garfield nodded, staring out the window.

"Did what Raven told you have anything to do with it?"

Garfield didn't look at him as he thought about the question when he finally answered, "Maybe. I'm not sure. She definitely helped, but it wasn't just her."

"Are you going to try to talk to her again?"

He shook his head. "Not if she doesn't want to. I won't force her into anything she won't be ready for. I know Raven. If she wants to remain friends, I'll be happy enough."

"I gotta admit I really thought she was the one for you."

Garfield smiled again, thinking back to the moment they'd met. Out of all the possibilities, he had run into her of all people. And though they were so different, they had connected in a way he hadn't ever connected with anyone else.

"I did too."

* * *

"Gar! You came!" Kory yelled at the top of her lungs when she saw him walk through the door from across the backyard. She ran as quickly as a pregnant woman could, which was faster than he expected, and enveloped him into a hug.

"What? Did you think I was going to back out? And miss my little niece's baby shower? Hell no." His smirk widened. Kory went on to hug Vic who walked in right behind him.

"Woah, pretty lady, Mari's looking much bigger now."

Kory laughed and looked down at her belly, caressing it gently. "She will be joining us very soon!"

"I'm so happy for you, Kory," Garfield gave her his congratulations and handed her his gift.

Just then, Dick walked over to stand by his wife, smiling at the newcomers. "I'm glad you guys made it. Roy and Wally are sitting at the table in the back if you want to join them."

"Where is Sara?" Dick asked before they could walk off.

"She was really busy this week. She was really sorry she couldn't come. With our wedding so close, she's had to up her schedule for the time being."

"That is alright, Vic. Tell her she should not worry too much before the wedding or it could cause the wrinkles!" Kory added.

Victor chuckled and shook his head at Kory's worries. "I'll make sure to do so."

Kory and Dick continued greeting the incoming guests as Garfield and Vic headed toward the back with their friends. It was Roy, Wally, and Donna, who Garfield had only known by name and face since the wedding, sitting at the table.

"Glad y'all made it," Roy greeted as they sat down.

Garfield introduced himself to Donna seeing as Vic already seemed to know her.

"So you're the guy Raven's so caught up on?" Donna mentioned, a curious and playful expression on her face.

"Hardly." Garfield shook his head with amusement. "We had a short thing going, but it didn't work out."

Donna nodded.

Roy smacked Garfield in the arm and he let out a yelp. "What was that for?"

"Not telling us the girl you were so caught up on that one time was Raven."

"Dude, I didn't take a girl like Raven to go for you," Wally joked.

"Shut up." Garfield rolled his eyes.

Karen arrived a few minutes later and joined them at the table. They spent their time talking about Kory and Dick as well as teasing Roy about his new mystery girlfriend. It wasn't until Garfield heard the undeniable sounds of Timmy, Melvin, and Teether's screams that he stopped talking.

Raven had just walked in with the kids and appeared to be talking to Kory while the kids tried to pull her away toward the candy table set up by the food. Garfield laughed lightly to himself. Teether spotted him, and instantly proceeded to wander away from his siblings and headed straight for him.

"Hey little guy," Garfield greeted him as he finally arrived by their table.

Teether raised his arms like he wanted him to carry him, and Garfield quickly took him into his arms. "What are you doing over here?"

"Woah, is that Raven's kid?" Roy asked as he finally noticed the toddler.

"Took her long enough," Karen added as she caught sight of Raven.

"Hm, Teether seems to like you, huh?" Vic smiled at his friend.

"It appears so." The voice induced an array of butterflies in his stomach.

Garfield looked up at her with a grin. "Nice to see you too, Rae."

Raven took Teether and put him in her lap as she joined the group at the table. Melvin and Timmy quickly sat down on either side of her, happily eating the dinner Raven had made them get before their dessert.

"Why so late?" Donna asked.

"Teether was feeling a little sick earlier, but he's fine now."

"Wow, Raven, I have to admit you look so much different as a mother," Vic commented.

Raven smiled a little. "They're little rascals."

For the rest of the baby shower, Kory set up a bunch of games for them to play, and though Raven looked hesitant for most of them, the kids seemed to be having a blast. Garfield was paired up with Raven on a lot of the rounds which he suspected Kory had been behind, and even though she pretended to hate it, he would catch her small smirk every once in a while.

After the cake had been cut and most of the guests had started to leave, Kory and Dick had sat down with them to talk considering Kory had been mostly on her feet the whole night. It wasn't until the group was distracted with the conversation at hand that Raven tapped him in the shoulder and signaled for him to follow her.

They walked inside the house where Garfield spotted the kids sprawled out on the living room couches snoring.

"The party really wore them off, huh?"

"This is usually their bedtime, and they like to put up a fight before going to sleep but, fortunately, not today."

They were silent for a moment, only watching the kids sleep. After a little while, they headed to the kitchen so as to not wake them.

"I wanted to talk to you," Raven said, and a wave of anxiety hit Garfield like a train. Was this it? Would she tell him she no longer wanted him in her life like she had nearly a year ago?

"What is it?"

Raven seemingly struggled to find the right words for whatever she wanted to say, and Garfield furrowed his eyebrows. Raven at a loss for words was certainly a rare sight.

"These few months have helped clear my mind besides the new stress that's been added." She motioned toward the living room. "And they've also helped me realize Mal no longer has any prevalent part in my life. And now that my mother is here, I feel like my life has never been better."

Garfield sent her a genuine smile. "I'm happy for you, Rae. I really am."

Raven nodded, also smiling at him, before she looked away. "But I've also realized there's something missing from my life, something I didn't realize I wanted until I met you."

His heart nearly leaped out of his chest at her confession. He opened his mouth but couldn't speak, so she kept going, taking a step forward. "I need you in my life, Gar. I know it might not be fair of me after the way I hurt you but if there's any chance-"

He didn't even let her finish as he grabbed her wrists and pulled her into a fervent kiss. The moment their lips touched, he felt the world stop. And for what seemed like an eternity, he felt he was floating in the clouds like it was nothing but a dream. He was almost scared to open his eyes because he thought if he did, he'd wake up. But when he finally did pull away and open them, she was staring right back at him.

He leaned his forehead against hers as he held her hands tightly like she would fly away from him at any moment. "I love you, Raven. Of course I want you in my life."

She smiled not saying anything else but instead pulling him into another kiss. And only then did she realize, she'd been in love with Garfield for longer than she'd told herself.

Raven took it to be the right time to point out, "You know, if it hadn't been for you walking into the elevator when you did, this might've never happened."

"Then it looks like the best decision I've ever made has been walking into an elevator at the right time."

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

_Several Months Later..._

"One! Two! Three!" the women yelled in unison as Sara threw her bouquet of flowers which, even though Raven wasn't even standing up to catch, 'coincidentally' landed on her lap. She rolled her eyes and put it on the table in front of her

"Your wife's got a wicked aim, Vic," Garfield laughed as the women suddenly dispersed the dance floor disappointed. He took the bouquet from Raven and took a flower out, quickly taking a sniff of it and then handing it to Melvin who happily put it on her hair. Timmy then proceeded to fight her for it, so Garfield gave him one too.

"Or your girlfriend's insanely lucky," Vic returned, Sara walking over and hugging him from behind, both watching Raven with amusement.

"Oh, I am thrilled! Will Raven be the next one passing the bouquet?" Kory exclaimed from across the table where she was cradling baby Mari in her arms and sitting by Dick whose arm was around her shoulders.

Raven's face turned red, and she avoided everyone's stares.

Garfield just laughed. "Maybe. If she says yes." He stared at her expectantly.

She turned to him and narrowed her eyes.

"Garfield Mark Logan."

"Oh, shit, she's bringing out the full name!" Roy yelled out, laughing hysterically. He'd already had one too many drinks.

"Are you trying to propose in the middle of your best friend's wedding in front of our friends without even a ring to offer?"

"You said you hated when people made a big deal out of proposing!"

Raven smirked. "Doesn't mean you shouldn't try."

Garfield looked annoyed, though still sporting a smile, as he slipped a small black box out of his pocket. "What about this?"

"Dude, do you just carry that around everywhere waiting for a good time?" Vic laughed.

Raven's eyes turned wide like she hadn't been expecting him to actually do it. There was a mix of oh's and other surprised comments from their friends surrounding them.

"Yes," she told him with a big smile right before she pulled him into a kiss.

Their friends burst into cheers and congratulations. Sara was the first one to run over to hug Raven considering she was already standing up. "I totally don't mind your fiance just proposed during my wedding," she teased.

"He sure is a doofus."

"Hey!"

"Daddy!" Teether let out from Raven's lap.

Garfield's smile only widened. For once in a long time, he felt like his life was perfect. Despite the fact Steve was still in the hospital and Rita was still gone, he felt complete like he could face any hardship that came his way.

He was happy, and he knew she was too.

.

.

.

.

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

"_It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world."_

Chaos Theory

* * *

**A/N: And that, my friends, was the butterfly effect. A topic I've ached to write about since I knew what the term meant. ****Wow, that was, difficult to finish, but I did! I hope it's a satisfying enough ending! It took a lot of me to write it, but I wanted to finish it once and for all! I think this is my best story here by far. But... I do think Hiraeth will trump over this one.**

**So here's the plan, I'm going to upload a chapter of Glass along with the first chapter of Hiraeth, hopefully by next week. I'm really hoping I can get the Glass chapter written. That story has given me a lot of trouble, but I promised myself I have to finish it! I already have the first three chapters of Hiraeth written, but I will release them maybe every two weeks, hoping to stay above the schedule so I can write one before I release the previous. I'm planning for it to be a very long story and it is not just focused on BBRae like my usual stories. This one will have the perspective of all the main five and it will have a bunch of recurring minor characters making their appearances too. It will be way more complex, with many more side plots branching off. But it will ultimately be a family and romance fiction. Also, I don't plan on making it all that angsty, it will just contain typical teenage problems, well a little more atypical, but they're teen problems. It's going to be a mix of light-hearted and serious when it has to be. **

**Honestly, I'm taking a lot of inspiration from _Les Miserables_ by mad-dog13 and _Anti-Kitten Birthday Party_ by Miss Paint. These two are fanfictions I really suggest you read, along with the other AUs I have up in my BBRae community linked in my profile! Anyhow, I love you guys, thank you for sticking with me through this whole journey, even though it took a while. I really appreciate every single one of you who favorited, followed, reviewed, and just read my story. You have no idea the warmth I feel every time I see it. It brings me comfort that I'm doing something to entertain someone during these hard times. I love you guys!**

**calisalex: Certainly, I realized halfway I needed to make sure this story gave off a good message. Thank you! I really appreciate it! I hope you enjoy the next one!**

**essa8b3: I'm so happy you like it! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Sanzojoe: Sorry I didn't include the conversation with Gar and Arella, I figured it'd be good to keep what happened for Raven's perspective. Hope you enjoyed it! I appreciate you being a loyal reader!**

**black blood knight13: Your wish is my command. Hope you liked it!**

**LilyTimbers: Thank you! I really wanted to make a nice wedding for those two because man do they deserve some happiness in their relationship. I wanted their vows to sound distinctly like them instead of making them the generic you changed my life. And that conversation certainly took me the longest to nail. I wanted to make sure I incorporated a good message into this story that you shouldn't let someone define your happiness and that you should make sure you can be happy by yourself before you start a relationship. I think it's important in romance fictions because this fandom sure does have a lot of younger readers who are probably barely at the start of their romance life. Hoping you liked this conclusion! Took me a few days to fully complete, haha. Anyhow, thank you so much for your continued support! I really appreciate it!**


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